


Hunting for Haunts

by Texan_Red_Rose



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Angels, Blood and Gore, Demons, Dysfunctional Family, Exorcisms, F/F, Heaven & Hell, Resurrection, Slow Burn, Spirits, Supernatural Elements, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-09-17 05:06:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 31,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16968237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Texan_Red_Rose/pseuds/Texan_Red_Rose
Summary: Ruby Rose, in accordance with her sister's wishes, attends college and is on her way to a criminal justice degree. However, when Yang drops by one night looking for their father, it kick starts an adventure that drags them deep into the mystery of how their mother died and uncovers a conspiracy that ranges from the highest echelons of Heaven to the bowels of Hell.





	1. The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note:**

> Evalynxiv asked for some of the Supernatural AU, so here we go. First episode of sorts. If you’ve never seen Supernatural, here’s a general warning for: supernatural creatures, intensive lore diving, demons, exorcisms, wars between Heaven and Hell, character deaths, resurrections, blood, grave desecration, fucked up people doing fucked up things, dysfunctional families, and God being a dick. I think that covers it?

Ruby pushed open the heavy double door, holding it for a moment so her girlfriend could follow her out of the lecture hall before walking away, both of them carrying books in their arms. Night had already fallen over the campus, the low buzzing of the street lamps a nice background noise to accompany the low chatter from other students hurrying home after a long day of learning. Two years into her stint at Beacon University- the most prestigious college in Vytal, nestled in Vale City with a gorgeous view- Ruby found herself nearly buried by the coursework, working as hard as she could to get that Criminal Justice degree a full two years younger than the majority of her peers, at the very least. Most would probably be intimidated by it but she’d been up against worse things in her life; a little bit of academic grinding didn’t intimidate her in the slightest. Plus, she’d found the perfect partner in crime to keep her company.

“Did you really need to check out all five volumes of Vale Law amendments?” Penny chuckled, carrying two of them herself. “I’m pretty sure you could’ve found all this on the CCT.”

“It’s not the same; I like the tactile sensation of a book over a screen.” She shifted the three she carried, tugging at the collar of her favorite red hoodie so it didn’t choke her. “Besides, you know how unreliable the CCT can be on campus. Half the time, you can’t even load the landing page, forget doing research.”

“Yeah, the University connection is pretty bad.” The ginger shook her head. “ _Unless_  you go to the student cafe and pay three lien for an hour.”

“Holding CCT connection ransom should be against the law.” She nodded towards the books in their arms, while making the turn towards their apartment just off the campus grounds. “Maybe we can find something about that in here.”

“Are you going to fight the administration?” Sparkling green eyes shone with amusement. “You know you’re supposed to wait until  _after_  you graduate before you start fighting the good fight, right?”

“Why can’t I start right now? I could be like Batman or something.” Ruby and Penny stopped to check both ways before crossing the street. “Besides, there’s a lot of things out there that need to be stopped. I might as well start here, right?”

As they landed on the other side of the street, the ginger leaned over and pressed a kiss against her temple, setting off a blush in Ruby’s cheeks. “This is why I love you. You have this passion for doing the right thing- it’s really inspiring.”

“Thanks.” She ducked her head, trying to hide just how much she was blushing as they climbed the stairs to their apartment, Penny fishing out the keys while she temporarily took all five books. The moment they were inside, she dropped the research material onto the little table they had in their small foyer, just about bending over to untie her boots before stopping. Quietly, she turned to look at her girlfriend. “Did you hear that?”

Penny’s brows drew together, a frown touching her lips as she shook her head.

Putting a finger to her lips, Ruby crept into the apartment, on high alert for what might’ve caused the rustling she’d just barely caught when they came inside. She didn’t bother hitting any lights, relying on her memory to maneuver down the hall and peek into the empty living room. A glance into the kitchen proved nothing had changed in there since they’d left that morning, and she started thinking maybe she’d just imagined it. Then, she heard something further down the hall, coming from the bathroom. Carefully, she crept over to grab the bo staff she kept hung up on the wall, opting to at least be armed when she moved deeper into the apartment. Admittedly, she hadn’t properly exercised with her staff in a year at least, but it gave her reach.

As she entered the hallway, she noted the light on in the bathroom, which they’d certainly turned off before leaving. Ruby steadied her breathing, stopping outside the doorway and preparing to confront the threat within with a glance back to ensure Penny had stayed by the door. She reached for the door knob, but whoever had broken into the apartment chose that moment to open the door, prompting her to swing.

Her staff was caught, the momentum carried through as her own grip was used against her, lifting her up off her feet a moment before she found herself flat on her back with the staff pressed against her throat.

“Okay, I  _know_  I taught you better than that.” She blinked, looking up at her sister standing over her with that little smile of hers, lilac eyes giving the staff a once over. “You can’t use a weapon like this in close quarters- no room to swing. Instead?”

“I should use my fists and the environment to my advantage.” With a sigh, Ruby rolled her eyes. “Just dropping in for a combat lesson, Yang?”

“And to say hi.” The blonde shrugged her massive shoulders, somehow even more muscle than the last time they saw each other. “I mean, I  _do_  have my manners.”

“Manners that include breaking into my apartment?” She raised a brow, accepting the hand held out to her as her sister helped her to her feet. “What if Penny had come in without me, huh? What would you have done then?”

“Penny?” She pressed her lips into a thin line before recognition dawned. “Oh, right, your girlfriend. You’re still together?”

“Yeah, surprisingly.” She shook her head and waved towards the doorway. “Penny! It’s okay, it’s just my sister. I, uh, forgot I gave her a key.”

“Oh! Well, at least it’s not a burglar.” The ginger came around the corner, taking in Yang’s beaten leather jacket, torn jeans, and messy blonde hair with that sweet smile she always wore when meeting new people; she genuinely loved the chance to make new friends. It was one of the things Ruby loved about her. “You must be Yang. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!”

“Yeah, salutations,” the blonde replied with a wink, followed by a groan from Penny.

“You told her about that?”

“It was cute!” Ruby defended with a smile and a laugh.

“Yeah, I have to agree. Totally cute. Thanks for keeping an eye on the Rube Cube for me.” A hand lightly punched her shoulder. “She’d probably forget about the rest of the world with all the studying she does.”

“Did you  _just_  come out here to embarrass me?” She’d intended the question to be lighthearted- hoping beyond hope that nothing serious had prompted the visit- but her expression fell as a familiar look came to her sister’s eyes.

“Actually, I kinda need your help.” She pressed her lips into a thin line. “Dad’s, uh, he’s not answering his scroll. Have you heard from him recently?”

Ruby’s heart stopped for a moment. “N-no. Is he off hunting again?”

“Yeah.” Yang sighed, running a hand over her face. “Yeah, he is.”

Before the next question left her lips, she turned towards Penny, mustering as much of a reassuring smile as she could. “Penny, could you, uh… give us a minute? It’s just-”

“Family is complicated.” The ginger nodded, having heard that particular phrase more than once when inquiring about the Rose-Xiao Longs. “I’ll start on dinner. Will you be joining us Yang?”

“Uh, sure, yeah.” Ruby lead both of them into the bedroom while her girlfriend went to the kitchen, catching the excitement in her sister’s expression. “Do you have  _any_  idea how long it’s been since I’ve had a home cooked meal?”

“Priorities, Yang.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You know Dad wouldn’t have called me while he was off on a hunt; you yelled at him the last time he did.”

“I didn’t  _yell_  at him.” Lilac eyes rolled at her disbelieving expression. “Okay, look- you have a normal life here. College, girlfriend, apartment- hunting isn’t your life and he had no right trying to drag you back into it.”

“Okay, first off, I  _offered_  to help.” She gestured around the bedroom. “I mean, yeah, all this is nice, but I didn’t ask for this! I’d rather be out there with you and Dad, fighting the good fight, not buried up to my ears in textbooks.” She paused, brows furrowing. “Actually, how’d you lose track of Dad, anyway? Weren’t you working a job together?”

“Nah.” Yang waved off the inquiry. “I went down south to take care of a restless spirit haunting a Ferris wheel.” Noting the surprise in the younger sister’s expression, she shrugged again. “It wasn’t anything big; it just kept sabotaging the equipment. No deaths yet but I put it to rest. As safe a job as there is; Dad thought it would be a good one to do by myself.”

“Where was Dad the last time you talked to him?”

“You know that little town about an hour north of here, real historic and stuff? Just had a really old statue removed to make way for a minimart?”

“Yeah, I read something about that in the paper.” Ruby mentally combed over the few articles she’d glanced at since then. “There’s been a few odd deaths up there recently.”

“You’re reading obituaries again.” Yang shook her head, holding up a hand. “Look, I thought maybe Dad swung by here, but-”

“But, nothing.” She turned towards the closet. “Dad’s missing and there’s  _something_  an hour from here that we can stop. Let’s drive up there, find a motel, and start tracking down information tomorrow morning. If we find whatever woke up when the statue was removed, we’ll find Dad.”

“You’re not going hunting.”

“You’re not Mom,” she said, refusing to turn around and face her older sister while she spoke. Even if she believed every syllable, she couldn’t bear to see the expression on Yang’s face. “I know you did your best after she died, Yang. You tried to be there for me, and for Dad, and you want me to go and live a nice, normal life. But we know what’s out there. How can I just…  _pretend_  like I don’t?”

Eventually, when no heated response came, Ruby had to turn around to see the blonde’s expression, an impressive mix of fury and despair.

“I wish you didn’t know. I wish Dad never told you.” She shook her head. “I’ll fight- I’m okay with that- but I always wanted better for you. The kinda life you see on TV, ya know? Not driving all night to find a motel, microwave gas station dinners, and breaking into buildings just to save people’s lives. It’s a thankless job and you’re… you’re better than that, Ruby.” Lilac eyes fell on her. “You’ve got a girlfriend here. A future. I’ve just got more of the same, ducking the law and making up new excuses with every conversation I start. Why would I want that for you?”

“What about what  _I_  want?” She looked down at her hoodie- it was their mother’s, supposedly, one of her favorites. “I want to find what killed Mom too, Yang. Maybe not for revenge but just so no one else gets hurt because of it. Dad’s been hunting this thing for almost twenty years and hasn’t gotten any closer- don’t you think more help can’t hurt at this point?”

Finally, the woman threw her hands up. “Look, I just came to see if Dad was here. He’s not, so I’m going.”

“Not without me.”

“Like hell you are.”

“I’m eighteen; I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”

“This isn’t up for  _debate_ , Ruby.”

“You’re right; it’s not.” She turned and yanked open her closet door, grabbing the bag she’d had ready since enrolling at college. “I’m coming with you, we’re going to find Dad, and we’re going to deal with whatever’s causing those deaths. End of discussion.”

“You’re not dropping out-”

“I didn’t say anything about dropping out.” Sighing, she looked over at her sister, setting her jaw the same way the blonde did when she was being especially stubborn. “I don’t have class tomorrow and it’s only an hour away. Dad’s cleared an entire vampire nest in five hours before; you really think we can’t take care of whatever this is in a day?”

Yang set her hands on her hips and shook her head. “ _One_  hunt. We go, salt and burn some bones, find Dad, and you’re right back here working towards that degree.” Her shoulders dropped slightly. “If I had things my way, we wouldn’t be arguing like this, ya know. Dad would be back in that house on Patch with both of us off at school trying to make something of ourselves. We’d be safe.”

In her sister’s eyes, she could see the desire to slip out the door without a word, so she went for the cheap shot. “And Mom?”

“Yeah… and Mom would be there, too.” 

“‘Cause all we have in this world is family, right?” As Yang’s gaze fell to her feet for a moment, she felt a little guilty for taking the low blow, but ever since she was eleven, she’d been doing everything expected of a normal kid and more. 

While her big sister dug up graves and memorized Latin phrases, Ruby had studied math and science and social studies. While her Dad took notes on all manner of terrible creatures plaguing the world, she took notes on  _Hamlet_  and  _The Odyssey,_  and  _Dante’s Inferno_. That last one seemed to be as close to the ‘family business’ as she was allowed to get.

And it hurt. She’d much rather be with her family, not off at a University. If she hadn’t made friends with Penny that first week- the first person she’d ever managed to interact with who wasn’t introduced to her by Yang- Ruby wasn’t sure she’d still be sane at this point.

“Yeah.” The blonde came over, wrapping her arms around Ruby’s shoulders. “Let’s go have dinner with your girlfriend. Then, we’ll head out.” She paused, pulling back enough to look into silver eyes. “Does she know?”

“Yang, there’s no way I’m telling anyone my Dad and sister hunt monsters, burn bones, and hustle pool halls for a living.”

“Hey, I’m a hero!”

“A hero who desecrates graveyards.” She pointed out with a chuckle, falling back on old jokes to ease the tension in broad shoulders.

“Look, if you ever learn how to rewrite thousands of years of lore to give spirits another weak point, let me know.” The blonde rolled her eyes, turning to head back towards the kitchen. “I’d love it if downing a beer while wearing a sombrero on a Tuesday banished a poltergeist.” Ruby couldn’t help but laugh. She’d missed her sister’s colorful sense of humor. “By the way, was that staff coated in sage?”

“Sage and salt, and there’s a compartment with a vial of holy water near the grip.” She shrugged. “You have your sawed off shotguns; I’ve got my staff.”

“Which means I’m going to waste a ghost and you’re going to hit yourself when it rebounds off a wall back towards you.”

“It means I have a walking stick and you’re a potential felon.”

Yang paused, then nodded. “Touche; I’m still wanted in Vacuo on weapons charges, ya know.”

Ruby laughed, lightly punching her sister’s shoulder.

She’d  _really_  missed this.

* * *

Ruby exited the library, hurrying down the steps and towards the black and yellow Camero. Probably not the most inconspicuous vehicle, granted, but the bright color somehow qualified as refuge in audacity and hardly anyone paid mind to the blonde sitting in the driver’s seat, beating out a rhythm against the steering wheel.

“Okay, not that I’m complaining or anything,” she said, leaning against Yang’s door and reaching inside to turn down the rock music blaring through the speakers. “But,  _why_  couldn’t you come into the library with me, exactly?”

“Oh, I coulda, just didn’t wanna.” Her sister winked, then nodded across the street. “Actually, I was scoping out where the statue used to be. Kinda weird, don’t ya think- a town as historic as this, why’s a statue sitting on the corner of a street and not in a park or something.”

“About that.” Ruby quickly ran around to the other side of the car and hopped into the passenger seat. “Two things. First, we’re definitely dealing with a vain and vengeful spirit. The statue was of Gerold Fincher, a class A asshole.”

“Hey.” Yang snapped her fingers. “Language.”

Rolling her eyes, she continued. “Here, I copied down this.” She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. “Read it.”

“Ugh, this is awful. Burned someone, strangled someone, drug someone behind a horse- this dude was a straight up serial killer.”

“Actually, that was all in one night.” Ruby nodded towards the library. “I went back through the newspaper clippings. This town was around back before Faunus were allowed in Vale. Once the laws changed, Faunus immigrants came, and a few months later, Mr. Fincher here decided to ‘cleanse’ the town of them. He was tried and hung but not before swearing to continue his work from beyond the grave.”

Yang frowned, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. “Something don’t sound right. If he was that pissed off, he would’ve kept killing all these years.”

“Yeah, well, as it turns out, about half of that is made up.” She cringed. “He  _wasn’t_  actually tried and hung; the one Faunus who fought back during his night of murdering madness bashed his head in with a rock, and  _he_  was tried and hung. The statue was to honor Mr. Fincher as a ‘victim of violent crime’. Seeing as he was one of the town’s founding fathers, or whatever, they protected his legacy until recently.”

“Wow, this place sucks.” She shook her head. “When did they decide to cover up that bit?”

“About the time they decided to tear down the statue.” Crossing her arms over her stomach, she sighed. “I mean, the story slowly changed over the years, but it’s pretty clear that no one thought ill of the statue until it was ‘revealed’ that the guy was a terrible person.”

The blonde shifted in her seat. “Okay, that makes a bit more sense. Racist bastard was content with being remembered as a victim; now that his legacy is tarnished, he’s killing people by…”

Ruby frowned. “Didn’t you  _read_  the obits?”

“I was working my own job, remember?” Waving a hand, Yang continued. “It doesn’t really matter anyway; this dude’s a douche and I don’t mind burning him. Where’s he buried?”

“In a mausoleum in the town’s oldest graveyard.”

“Color me surprised.”

As Yang put a hand on her gear shift, Ruby considered waiting to address the second thing she’d learned while inside the library, but that wouldn’t be fair.

“There’s one other thing.”

“About this jackass?”

“No. About Dad.” Reaching under her hoodie, she pulled out a very familiar, battered leather bound journal, biting her lip as her sister gasped. “He, uh, left it with the librarian under one of our fake names. I… I thought I’d ask, just in case. I… didn’t think.”

“He just left it?” Yang shook her head in disbelief. “That thing’s like his bible. Everything he’s learned, everything he’s ever killed, it’s all in there.”

“Yeah. He just left it, and a message.” Ruby took in a breath, releasing it slowly while turning to the last page in the journal. In their father’s familiar scrawl were four words.

“Take it from here?” Her sister threw her hands up into the air. “What’s  _that_  supposed to mean? What’s so important he dropped off the face of Remnant in the middle of a hunt?”

She didn’t want to say it. She didn’t. But, as the silence stretched on, she realized she had to be the one to bring it up.

“Remember when you turned sixteen?” Her gaze remained fixed ahead of her, unseeing. “Dad got you your own journal, said it was time for you to start taking your own notes?”

Yang pressed her lips into a thin line. “Yeah. Said I wouldn’t be able to ride with him forever. Had to be ready to run on my own feet.” At a loss, she hit the steering wheel with the palm of her hand and sighed, slumping back in her seat. “He couldn’t just tell me? Why’d he have to pull this vanishing act bullshit?”

“He  _did_  tell you.” Ruby shrugged. “Whatever killed Mom? It’s not like anything we’ve ever run up against. When time came, he was gonna have to go deep under the radar. It’s the only way he’s going to take it down.”

They sat in silence, one brooding anger and the other at a loss for how to comfort her. She understood how dangerous hunting could be- it wasn’t like she could be shielded from the harsh realities of the work, no matter how hard her sister tried- but this was different. Knowing their Dad was closing in on the monster that took Mom away and not being able to help in any way, that hurt.

Without a word, Yang grabbed the gear shift and threw it into place, tearing out of the parking spot and blazing towards the cemetery. “Let’s go scout. Burn this bastard and get you back to school.”

“Sis-”

“Open the glove box.”

Ruby raised a brow but complied, pulling out the very journal she’d just mentioned. There were dog ears pages and little markers sticking out, some pages crinkled. “You started it.”

“Yeah. I did.” She sighed. “I just- I can’t believe he thought I didn’t do it.”

With a frown, she opened up Yang’s journal, flipping through the pages. Her sister didn’t have the best handwriting but she took amazing notes- not a surprise; she was the one who taught Ruby how to study, after all- and on a whim she opened up their Dad’s.

Then she started flipping through pages, comparing the two against each other.

“Hey, you remember chasing down an imp?”

“An  _imp_?” Her sister’s expression screwed up in thought. “Nope. Can’t say I have.”

“What about an incubus?”

“Uh, yeah, that one was about… half a year ago? That one was fucking hell.”

“Okay, one, how come you can curse and I can’t?” She waved off the inevitable ‘because I’m older’ explanation and continued. “Two, Dad didn’t write about the incubus.”

“… he didn’t?” Yang shifted, taking the next turn a little less aggressively. “Well… I don’t remember him going after an imp.”

“I don’t think he did.” Ruby looked at the page again. “This is just… lore and research, nothing proven. I think Dad left the jobs to you and just wrote down anything he thought could be out there.”

For a moment, her sister remained silent. Then, she offered a small smile. “Guess I better hope I took good notes.”

“You did.” She chuckled. “I know you did.”

With a laugh, Yang reached out to ruffle her hair- much shorter than the blonde’s, with tips that turned red naturally. “Thanks for the confidence boost, sis.”

“No problem.”

Bumblebee’s engine roared as they tore down the road, the music returning with a flick of the knob.

* * *

Yang huffed out a breath as she threw aside the crowbar used to pry open the mausoleum door. Stepping into the musty air, she frowned at the single ornate coffin on a raised platform, a picture of the deceased hung above it making her stomach turn. It had to be a… disgustingly flattering depiction of his last night alive, with the words ‘Savior at Work’ embossed on a plaque beneath.

“You might’ve undersold it, Rubes.” They approached the coffin, salt and gasoline in hand. “This dude goes  _beyond_  grade A asshole.”

“If I’d called him a douchebag, you would’ve washed my mouth out with soap.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at that, setting the gas cans down and tugging on the lid of the coffin. “Hey, taught you a lesson, right? And it wasn’t  _actually_  soap; I just poured peppermint schnapps in oatmeal.” Her brow furrowed as she tugged again to no avail. “Don’t tell me this bastard sprung for a locked coffin.”

“I’ll go get the crowbar-”

“Nah, that’ll take too long.” Making a fist with one hand, she wrapped the other around it and raised them over her head, bringing them down with force. The wood splintered beneath the strength of the blow and she wasted no time in pulling the broken pieces away and bashing against the edges the reveal the rotting remains within.

Ruby scrunched up her nose while peering into the coffin. “How do you stand the smell?”

“By remembering the smell when it burns is ten times worse.” She bumped their shoulders together and motioned towards the interior of the coffin. “You salt, I’ll pour. Let’s send this bastard to Hell.”

As they went through the motions, Yang gently corrected her sister, encouraging to be less stingy with the salt. She’d done everything in her power to shield Ruby from the horrors that came with a hunter’s life; learning to shoot and defend herself was one thing but, if she had the knowledge to do so, nothing would stop her from following in Dad’s footsteps. Her sister just possessed that sort of drive- in all the right ways- and it worried her. Ever since Yang had turned ten, became old enough to recognize obsession for what it was, and realized how their way of life differed from others, she’d tried her hardest to steer her younger sister away from the lifestyle. Ruby could be anything she wanted- she had  _so_  much potential- and even though it hurt to fight and argue about it every time they saw each other, she felt just as convinced as the first time she’d hidden away information about the dark creatures that lurked all over Remnant.

“All done!” Setting down the salt, silver eyes began to sparkle with interest and excitement. “I have some matches!”

Yang opened her mouth, reached out to stop her… but her heart clenched painfully at the look on her sister’s face. For all she’d done to shield her, perhaps that had only allowed the glamour to shine through strongest, coloring Ruby’s perspective. Whenever Dad had left them alone, off on a hunt, she’d told stories about how he was a hero, saving people; really, it wasn’t any wonder her sister had the wrong idea about hunters in general.

Plus… they hadn’t really done anything  _together_  in years, not as sisters. As far as bonding experiences went, it wasn’t ideal, but… it was something.

“Go ahead,” she said, nodding towards the coffin. “Light him up.”

Ruby pulled out one match from the book- then more at Yang’s cough and pointed look- and struck them, dropping the bundle into the opening. Almost immediately, flames caught, and the younger of the two fought valiantly not to gag. She put a hand on her little sister’s shoulder to steady her as the fire engulfed the skeleton, pulling her back a few steps.

“You weren’t kidding about the smell.”

Teasingly, she took a deep breath and just barely managed to not cough and retch. “You get used to it.”

“When was your first?” She glanced at Ruby’s expression, noting the genuine curiosity and evident hope. “I mean, I know you usually went with Dad after I was old enough to look after myself for the most part, whenever Uncle Qrow or Father Ozpin let me stay with them, but when did you salt and burn bones for the first time?”

“Remember that weekend right before your tenth birthday, Dad said we were going to get you a special present?”

“Yeah.” She laughed. “First edition of Grimm Tales. I still have the book.”

Yang nodded, unwilling to reveal their Dad had actually forgotten about the ulterior motive for heading to that hunt entirely and she had to both sneak away from him and steal the book before they returned. It was worth it, though. “That was my first vengeful spirit. Dad, uh, he caught wind of it on the way up, so we figured, ya know, two birds, one stone.”

“Yang… you were  _eleven_ the first time you went on a hunt?” Her sister’s brows drew together in concern.

“Well, no… my first hunt was, like, a year before that.” She offered a shrug while watching the dancing flames leaping out of the coffin. “I told Dad I wanted to help, to be a hero, like him. So, he acted as the bait and I came charging in. Staked my first vampire that night.” A chuckle left her lips as she glanced away. “Fun fact, though, that’s all Hollywood. Vampires have to be  _beheaded_ , not staked; that only works on other undead.”

“But how did-”

“Dad figured it might not work. He also thought anything that feeds on  _fresh_  blood would get poisoned by  _dead_  blood. Kinda like how drinking expired milk makes you sick.” Shaking her head, she bent down to collect up the tools of her trade. “Lucky for us both, that hunch paid off.”

They ducked out of the mausoleum as the smoke began to thicken, heading back to Bumblebee with their remaining supplies. Halfway there, though, Yang noticed her sister lagging behind.

“How many close calls have you and Dad had?”

She stopped in her tracks, looking back at Ruby. “I’ve lost count, honestly. It seems like there’s at least one moment every hunt where I think… you know… ‘this is it’ or something like that.” Throwing in a little laugh, she shrugged to downplay the seriousness of her words. “But, in this line of work, it’s kinda hard not to think about your own mortality.”

“Yang!” She winced at the frustration coloring her sister’s tone. “This isn’t funny! All my life, you’ve told me how dangerous hunting is, how you wanted better for me, how you and Dad could handle it. You talked about how Dad was a vigilante, fighting the good fight but not always doing it the right way, like there’s a right way to desecrate a grave.” Her voice rose until she’d started yelling, the age old battle renewing in earnest. “You acted like this was beneath me, telling me to study hard and take these tests so I can have a  _good_  life, but this whole time, I’ve been, what? A hair’s breadth away from losing the only family I have left?” Hands ran through shoulder length brown hair tipped with red. “I just don’t get it, okay? Why won’t you let me  _help_ you?”

“Are we really going  _there_?” Despite some part of her understanding where Ruby was coming from, her anger flared, burning brighter for a moment than the literal flames now tickling the walls of the mausoleum. “Little miss ‘I’m gonna be a cop’, like  _that_  is a safe profession! I’ve at least got salt and holy water, years of lore to protect me, Rubes, but people?” She shook her head. “People are crazy!”

“Then it’s not about the danger, is it?” Silver eyes hardened as her jaw set, and Yang cursed how stubborn they could both be. “What’s the real reason, then? Why won’t you let me come with you?”

Holding back a curse, Yang took a moment to breathe deep and let it go slowly before speaking. “Rubes, where do you think the money comes from? Think there’s some fat government grant just sitting around that keeps me fed, keeps gas in Bumblebee’s tank, bought the salt you’re holding?” She threw her arms out wide. “I’m a crook, Ruby. I got the best intentions but that doesn’t absolve me of the lies, the cheats, the frauds, the break ins- there’s no honesty in hunting. No trust. If you didn’t train ‘em, you don’t roll with ‘em, ain’t that what Dad said?” Only then did her sister break eye contact. “Hunters don’t have friends and we hardly ever tell the truth and that’s not you. I know you’re going to throw yourself into harm’s way to protect others, that-” she couldn’t stop the chuckle that burst through her lips “-that runs in the family. But at least you can be  _honest_  about it, Rubes.” Dropping the gas cans and crowbar, she closed the distance and pulled her sister into a tight hug. “You’ve got a good heart. You look around, and you see a world worth saving, and I…” She swallowed hard. “I’ve seen some stuff. I’ve… almost given up on people, ya know? All the terrible things out there, more than half of them were created by people, or summoned by people, or used to  _be_  people.” Thinner arms than hers returned the embrace, the salt falling to the ground with a dull thud, and her sister had always seemed so  _small_  in comparison. “You haven’t given up. I don’t think it’s even crossed your mind to doubt this messed up world, even though no one would blame you if you did. And as crazy as just regular people can be, at least any bullet’s a good deterrent.” A surprised chuckle from her sister brought a small smile to her lips. Yang pulled back, jerking her head towards Bumblebee. “I was gonna wait until you graduated but… I got something for you.”

They snatched up their supplies again, Ruby putting them in the trunk while she reached beneath the driver’s seat and pulled out a little red book, with a black outline of a pair of handcuffs and a badge on the front.

When Ruby slid into the passenger seat, she handed over the present.

“Is this… a journal?”

“Yeah. I figured… you know… just because you hunt down a different kind of evil, doesn’t mean you couldn’t use one of your own.” She shrugged. “Plus, it’s in your color-”

Yang nearly hit the horn on accident as her sister threw herself across the center console and pulled her into a hug.

“Thanks, Yangarang.” The use of the childhood nickname brought even more relief, a brief return hug before they both settled back in their seats. “And… for the record… yeah. It’d probably bother me in the long run… but I’d rather be with you and Dad.” She shrugged one shoulder. “We’re the only family we’ve got, right?”

“Right.” Turning the keys in the ignition, she shifted into drive while debating the words that wanted badly to leave her mouth. Ultimately, she couldn’t resist. “Tell you what. After you graduate, we’ll go on a few hunts. Something small, as little chance of getting hemmed up by the police as possible. If you… if you  _really_  would rather hunt, then I won’t stop you… but at least  _try_  to finish college first.”

An hour ago, Ruby probably would’ve jumped at the offer. Now, she nodded slowly. “We’ll see how things go. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have an offer from an Academy by the time I graduate or something.”

“Okay.” Nodding, she pulled out of the cemetery, heading towards the road out of town. It was still early enough in the night to make it back to Vale City so her sister could have a good night’s rest in her own bed. “We can work with that.” Yang glanced over, offering a smile. “Why don’t you try catching a nap? I’ll wake you when we get there.”

As Ruby acquiesced- shifting and curling up in the seat- she refocused her gaze on the road. 

In the back of her mind, she acknowledged that she’d likely never be able to discourage her sister from following in her footsteps, in her father’s. At the very least, she might be a little smarter about it, maybe find a better way to go about the job.

In the end, that’s what mattered.

“I’m proud of you, Rubes,” she said, answered only by a mumbled ‘you too’ as they pulled onto the highway.

* * *

Bumblebee pulled up to the curb, somehow rousing her from her light slumber. It seemed strange, to some extent, but she never had trouble waking up after a car ride, somehow knowing even when unconscious the difference between stopping and parking. Scrubbing at her eyes, she looked up at her darkened apartment building and frowned.

“You’ll call if you find Dad, right?”

“Yeah.” Yang shifted, obviously still worried but trying to cover it with a bittersweet smile on her lips. “You should go get some rest while you can. You said your first class is at ten, right?”

“Uh huh.” Popping open the door, Ruby grabbed the red journal and got out. “You’re probably gonna head out first thing in the morning, right?”

Her sister looked away for a moment, biting her lip. “Well, you know how Dad is. I’m sure he left some clues in her journal, so, y’know… I might be around for a day or two. Wanna grab lunch tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” She smiled. “There’s a place over on Main I think you’d like.”

“They got anything spicy?”

“I cry every time I try to eat their hot soup.”

“Sold.” The blonde laughed.

She waited a moment, debating the question that lingered in the back of her mind, then voiced it. “If this  _is_  Dad’s way of saying you’re on your own from now on… and if I  _promise_  not to ask about hunting… will you at least call every now and then?” She scuffed the curb with the bottom of her boot. “It’s just… hard, only hearing from you on birthdays and holidays.”

Yang mulled the question over for a moment. “As long as we can talk about things  _other_  than the job, I’ll call when I can.” She wagged a finger. “But  _you_ -”

“Study hard and make good grades.” Ruby chuckled. “I know,  _Mom_.”

They both chuckled briefly before Yang gave a little wave. “Later, Sis. Love ya.”

“Love you too.” Ruby stepped back and closed the door, knowing full well Bumblebee would sit right there until she’d safely made it into her apartment.

Turning around, she started towards the stairs, the light wind blowing making her shiver just a little and bringing a frown to her lips. Usually, she’d be able to hear the soft tinkling of her wind chime- a gift from Yang, something she’d passed off as being nothing more than a gas station bobble, but the little feathers that hung from the circle always seemed to feel a bit too real, a bit too much like holy water. She really wouldn’t be surprised if it was meant to deter spirits and demons; it would be just like her sister to make sure she had something there to protect her when Yang couldn’t be there.

When she reached the landing, her frown twisted as she groaned. Sure enough, the wind chime was gone, probably swiped by some drunk student for kicks. Not the  _best_  way to end the night but she supposed karma just couldn’t let her have  _too_  much.

Once inside her apartment, she decided to call out- loud enough to be heard if her girlfriend happened to be awake but not so loud that she might wake her up- and creep forward.

“Penny? You awake?” She heard a sort of shuffling from down the master bedroom down the hall, a sliver of light coming from beneath the door. A smile curled her lips. “You didn’t have to wait up for me, you know.” More shuffling and a muffled thud. “Babe, if you’re trying to surprise me with something cute-”

As she opened the door, Ruby’s heart stopped. Pinned against the opposite wall was Penny, green eyes open wide in terror, as some unseen force held her off the ground.

“Penny.” Shock quickly gave way to panic as she rushed forward, tried to pry her girlfriend from the wall to no avail. “Penny!” Her throat moved, as if trying to say something, but whatever had her stifled her voice, slid her further up the wall while throwing Ruby away, looking up in horror from the flat of her back. “PENNY!”

Finally, her sense kicked in, and she tore out of the room and grabbed her staff; she didn’t know much, but she knew the salt could ward off both demons and spirits. If she could just get there, she could help Penny, save her, but her return to the doorway, staff in hand, made her blood run cold. Her girlfriend’s irises were blood red, expression twisted into a snarl as an otherwordly voice called out to her.

“Time’s up, little Rose.”

“No!” She took a single step forward, terror gripping her tight as flames erupted from nothing, licking at Penny’s nightshirt. “NO!”

“RUBY, DON’T!” A solid weight slammed into her, then pulled her back, and she started thrashing.

“PENNY!”

“YOU CAN’T SAVE HER!” Her sister’s voice in her ear, arms around her waist and superior strength pulled her towards the doorway as the fire became stronger, the stench of burning flesh filling the air. “WE GOTTA GO!”

“NO, I CAN’T, I CAN’T JUST LEAVE HER!” The fire caught on the wall, the floor, the ceiling- it didn’t behave like the flames she’d set herself over an hour ago, bending the rules of reality to consume everything in the bedroom. “PENNY!”

“SHE’S GONE! SHE’S ALREADY GONE!” Yang pulled again, nearly taking her out of the room, but one hand shot out to grip the doorway as she searched for any sign her sister was wrong.

Her girlfriend’s body remained pinned to the wall but, for all the heat and blood and burns, no noise came from her throat, and her eyes remained tinged red until the fire and smoke became overpowering.

With a sob caught in her throat, she let go, allowing Yang to pull her out of the apartment even as the flames consumed everything.

* * *

The Police and Firefighters had already talked to her- well, Yang did most of the talking, providing an airtight alibi with her most charming smile- and the EMTs already gave her the all clear. With her staff leaning against her shoulder, she leaned back against Bumblebee’s trunk with her sister beside her, neither of them saying a word for a long while. People milled around, traded whispers, many woken in the middle of the night as her apartment burned. 

Nothing else did. Everything she owned aside from the clothes on her back and her staff was lost. And Penny… but nothing else. No other apartment- it didn’t even get the walls that bad.

Somehow.

“Yang?” She didn’t look away from the little spot of road she’d opted to focus on, only hearing the shift of fabric to indicate she’d garnered her sister’s attention. “The thing that came for Penny tonight… it’s the same thing that killed Mom, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… pretty sure it is.” Another shift. “I’ve… I’ve read Dad’s description of that night so many times… it’s almost exact.”

“What do you think it meant? ‘Time’s up’?” Finally, she tore her gaze away from the ground, searching lilac eyes. “And why Penny? What… what did she do to deserve… that?”

“Nothing. Same as Mom.” Yang offered a helpless shrug. “There was nothing you could’ve done. That thing… it’s strong and it’s… terrible. That’s why Dad’s spent so long hunting it.”

“You’re wrong.” Tears fell from her eyes. “I  _could_  have done something.” She shook her head. “I’m not going back to class, Yang.”

Shoulders falling, her sister looked away and then pushed off the car, turning around and holding out her hand. When Ruby followed her lead, she found Bumblebee’s key deposited into her palm.

“Look, if you’re mad at me, I get it. I’m sorry about Penny. I’m sorry this damn thing came after you instead of me.” Her brows furrowed. “And I’m not stopping you anymore. If you want to hunt, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. So pick a direction and let’s drive; we’ll find somewhere to hole up and pour over everything Dad and I have gathered up.”

“You’re not going to lecture me about being above petty revenge?”

“After what that thing did, I don’t think any sort of revenge can be described as ‘petty’.” She nodded, resolute. “If this is the path you want to take, I’ve got your back, through Hell and high water.”

She closed her fingers around the key. “Then we’re going to find this thing, and we’re going to kill it, or as near as we can possibly get. And every evil bastard along the way.”

No reprimand came for the swear word. Just a hand held up and waiting. “You got it.”

Ruby reached up and high-fived her sister, walking around to the driver’s side door and getting in, adjusting the seat for her slightly smaller stature. But before she put the key into the ignition, she looked over at Yang, who looked rather unfamiliar with the passenger seat. 

“I don’t blame you, by the way,” she said, meeting lilac eyes evenly and offering a small smile- the biggest she could muster but nothing close to her normal expression. “For all we know… it’s been waiting for me to leave Penny alone for long enough. Maybe if I hadn’t insisted on going with you, this wouldn’t have happened.” She shrugged. “We can ‘what if’ it to death but that doesn’t change what happened. All we can really do is make sure this thing doesn’t hurt anyone else.” Yang’s hand landed on her shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze. “And we’re not leaving this city until…” With a bit of difficulty, she swallowed. “Until  _after_  the service. I want to do what I can to make sure she’s resting in peace.”

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“There’s a verse Dad found. Read by a priest, I think it cleanses the soul of someone possessed by a demon.” Popping open the glove box, she pulled out Dad’s journal and began leafing through it. “It might be worth trying.”

Turning over the engine, she nodded and shifted into drive. “It’s something.”

As they pulled away from the apartment complex- away from the campus, away from the ‘normal’ life Yang had worked so hard to give her and that she’d tried so many times to push away- her sister cleared her throat.

“I, uh… I know you said you don’t blame me… you’ve… kinda always been too damn mature for someone your age…” A sigh slipped past her lips. “But just know, if you wanna talk about it… if you  _do_  end up having those thoughts… it’s okay. Going through all the scenarios doesn’t change the facts, you’re right about that… but if you start feeling angry or sad or you just- just wanna talk. I’m here.”

“Yeah.” She hit the blinker, turning towards a motel on the other side of town, and bit her lip for a second. “One of the first things we realized we had in common… was that she didn’t know her mom either. Died when she was young, raised by her dad. He’s… gonna be destroyed by this.”

“Sounds like he loved his daughter.”

She nodded. “Do you have one of the back up scrolls? The ones Dad only used to call, ya know, important people?”

“Of course.”

“I’m probably going to give him one of those numbers.” Ruby glanced over. “Family’s all we have… and he just lost the last bit of his.”

Yang let out a bitter chuckle. “You’re always gonna be my hero, Sis. Doesn’t matter how bad things get, you’re always thinking about how to help others.”

“I had a really good role model,” she replied.

The roar of the engine filled the silence in lieu of music as they headed towards the motel. Once they got a room, she’d allow herself to cry, to breakdown, maybe take Yang up on the offer to talk some parts out, because every time she blinked, all she could see was Penny’s face twisted into that unrecognizable expression, and those bright red eyes.

But first, she had to accomplish something, take the first step towards ensuring no one else would feel this agony. This thing had taken her mother, set their father on a path of revenge, nearly driven a wedge between the sisters… it would ruin  _no one else’s_ life _._  

She would make sure of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, please keep in mind that this is more inspired by Supernatural than following the show’s rules entirely. Now, enjoy the shenanigans.

Ruby stared through the window as the Camero pulled off to the side of the street in the predawn morning, a small frown on her lips. They’d only been in town for a day, doing the requisite reconnaissance on the lead they’d stumbled across while reading through the later portions of Dad’s journal and cross checking it with recent articles and obituaries, but she’d already grown rather… fond of the place. Closer to the Vacuo border, big enough to be found on a map but not a very hot tourist spot. Just… another place where people didn’t think terrible things could be lurking in the dark.

Yet, there they were.

“Lien for your thoughts?” Yang had obviously put off asking the question for a while. Ever since the funeral, she’d been checking up constantly on her sister’s well being, sometimes forcing her to eat when she wasn’t even hungry. She meant well but it was starting to verge on overbearing. “Rubes?”

“You know what this town is known for?” She glanced across the car at the blonde, who shrugged.

“Well, going by the decorations, the molding, the weird fuckin’ statues…” She pointed to a nearby store front to prove her point. “I’d go with pumpkins.”

“Yeah. They’re an important crop here.” Ruby sighed. “Penny grew up in Sprucewood, to the east. Everyone called her Pumpkin Head when she was a kid. Made her hate coming here for anything.” A chuckle left her lips. “When she told me that, I told her she was more like Pumpkin Pie than a Pumpkin Head. ‘Cause she was really sweet.”

Her sister snorted. “Color me impressed, Rubes. Didn’t think you could be  _that_  smooth.”

“I have my moments.” Silver eyes finally tore away from the pumpkin sitting prominently on the store’s stoop to the entrance to an apartment building. “You really think this is ground zero?”

“It’s the only place that fits,” Yang said, shutting off the car and settling into her seat. “In the last six months, fourteen people have gone pyro crazy in this town, and  _all_  of them lived in this apartment complex just before they decided to start cooking whoever was closest.”

“Any of them survive?”

“Only one, and he’s either in the ICU or the psych ward; raves about being possessed twenty-four seven, when the pain from his burns doesn’t knock him out.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sounds like your standard demon possession.”

“Sure, but this isn’t the thing that killed Penny and Mom.” Ruby shook her head, brows knitting together. “Aside from the whole fire part, nothing else is the same. Eye witnesses say they watched as the person poured accelerant or lit the match; whatever we’re looking for doesn’t need physical means to… you know.”

Her sister nodded, pressing her lips into a thin line. “I think you’re right, this isn’t what we’re looking for… but maybe it knows something about the thing we  _are_  hunting.” She shrugged. “Maybe demons operate like animals; retractable claws, rounded ears, long slinky tail, probably a feline of some sort, yeah? This might be a house cat but maybe it knows where the tiger is.”

“So, you’re thinking demon?” Popping open the glove box, she grabbed Dad’s journal and Yang’s, flipping open to the right pages. “I don’t know. Demons need a vessel to interact with the physical world, otherwise they’re just black smoke, and we didn’t see any leaving my apartment after…” She swallowed, letting out a shaky breath. “Maybe it’s some sort of spirit-”

“Honestly, we can’t rule it out, but spirits are usually tied to a physical location or an object, and everything was destroyed when Mom died. No chance you picked up some little trinket that brought the damn thing down on you.” Yang waved a hand, obviously trying to grasp onto some explanation but failing and eventually giving up. “I mean… Dad didn’t even have a picture left. He said the whole house went up, completely destroyed… we don’t even know what Mom looks like because of it.”

“Yeah.” A few lines stuck out- how demons could only be sent back to Hell, how they wormed their way out through either Devil’s Gates or Hell’s Gate, how they were weakened by holy water and couldn’t step on holy ground- but nothing that would point to any sort of hierarchy. “But this theory of yours… wouldn’t that mean you and Dad have only dealt with house cats?”

Yang nodded, flashing her a smile. “If we’re lucky, maybe we can find a bobcat or two and work our way up. Be ready when we finally find the tiger. It’s bound to need more than lemon water to send that bastard-” Her expression sharpened suddenly, attention focused on the apartment building. “It can’t be that easy.”

Looking up, Ruby caught sight of what her sister had- someone stopping as they came out of the apartment complex. During the night, they’d drawn Devil’s Traps in front of each entrance and exit to the complex, intending to stake the place out until someone made a show of avoiding the thing. They hadn’t made it obvious, of course, not enough to draw the attention of the average person- yellow chalk on sidewalk- but they didn’t want to actually trap a demon out in the open.  _That_  would get them caught out pretty quick.

And, sure enough, what appeared to be a woman with long, pure white hair and a white dress seemed to be regarding the trap with a bit of consternation, going out of her way to step aside and go around it. 

“It can’t be,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “The first one to come out? At five in the morning?”

“Hey, I’m not complaining.” Yang shrugged. “Quicker we wrap this up, quicker we get onto more important things.” She reached for the ignition, eyes tracking the woman as she started down the street. “We’ll tail her, see if she goes somewhere isolated.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait for her here?”

“Not if she’s about to go play chef with roast beef on the menu.” The blonde turned the car over, shifting into drive. “We just have to exercise a bit more caution than normal.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, putting the journals up and snatching out the flask of holy water. “Caution. Right.”

“Hey, what’s with the tone?” Lilac eyes darted towards her, a frown tugging at the woman’s lips. “I’m cautious.”

“Your journal entry about Atlas says otherwise.”

“It was  _one time. One. Time._ ”

“Oh, so that part about the poltergeist in Vacuo-”

“Totally different.”

“The succubus-”

“Can- can we stop, for a sec? Okay?” She threw her hands up. “So, I haven’t been the  _most_  cautious individual in the past, I get it, but I learned my lesson, alright?”

“Is it because you have me to look after now, too?” Ruby kept an eye on their target while Yang paid attention to the road. “Having an inexperienced partner means taking less risks.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way or anything, because I  _do_  love you, but it has nothing to do with your inexperience.” A smile flashed her way. “Truth is, our little spat in the graveyard that night… it really got me thinking, ya know? About… how many times I did something stupid and nearly lost the fight. I think you have a point about my cavalier attitude regarding my own mortality being… not ideal.”

“Not ideal, that’s how you’re going to say it?” She couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head. “Sis, sometimes, I think you’re crazy.”

“You know, you’re not the first to tell me that.”

* * *

Four hours later, they sat in a small diner towards the edge of town, in a corner booth drinking their twelfth cups of coffee and sweet tea respectively.

“This is so boring.” Yang groused, pulling back the cuff of her jacket to check her watch. “Either this is the most patient demon on the face of the planet or we’re chasing the wrong lead.”

“Come on; no one sits in a diner for four hours for no reason.” Ruby shrugged her shoulders, glancing to where their target sat, seemingly pouring over the menu for the fourteenth time. “Except us, I guess, but we  _are_  doing something.”

Her sister had her back to the woman, pretending to read her journal while Dad’s sat on the table, a pretense about ‘studying’ given to their waiter, who seemed at once vexed at the lack of a high dollar table and grateful, at least, for the ease of their presence. Each of them had a flask of holy water nearby, which had drawn a curious brow raise until Yang provided another excuse about them being gifts and pouring out a little bit of the water to prove it wasn’t anything other than that. They didn’t expect the potential demon to confront them in a public space but they also weren’t about to take any chances.

“Then what  _is_  she doing?” The blonde made a motion with her hand. “This isn’t exactly the prime target for burning; all the other places were at least multi-level buildings, potential for a high body count. Here? What, a couple dozen, if that?”

“Honestly, I have no idea.” Her brows furrowed as the waiter stopped by the woman’s table, greeting her with a friendly smile. It  _sounded_  like he was introducing himself, which seemed ridiculous considering they’d interacted at least a dozen times by now. “Maybe she’s scoping for the next place to burn?”

“Nah, every one so far has been a regular at where they went fire crazy- work or something, part of their daily routine.” Yang shook her head. “I’m telling you-”

“Oh, good, you’re the prepared sort.” Both of them jumped in their seats as the woman they’d been following all morning suddenly appeared beside their table, taking advantage of the instinctive movements to sit down beside Yang on the booth seat. “If you don’t mind, I’m afraid they don’t have the sort of creamer I prefer.” Without giving either of them a chance to do much of anything, she reached over and plucked the flask beside the blonde from its spot, unscrewing the cap and pouring a generous amount into her cup of coffee, nearly to the brim on a half empty cup. Then, she raised it to her lips, downing almost half of the liquid in one go, lowering the cup with a contented sigh. “Ah, that’s  _much_  better.”

Ruby and Yang exchanged a quick glance before looking back at the woman. From up close, they could see the pale scar running over her left eye, the blue of her irises, and the little snowflake charm necklace resting against her collarbone. Her hair was pulled off to the side in a pony tail, the long end of which swayed behind her right shoulder.

“Glad to be of help,” she said, with a nervous smile and hoping her big sister had some ideas on what they should do now.

“You… do realize that wasn’t alcohol, right?” The blonde recovered, a little smirk coming to her lips. “And you can’t impress me by pretending it was.”

“Oh, come now, you really think I can’t recognize the taste of holy water?” Blue eyes flicked between the two of them, noting the confusion. “Oh, dear, neither of you have any idea what you’re dealing with, do you?”

“Well, we kinda thought you were a demon, as long as we’re being honest,” Yang said, slowly moving her hand towards the inside of her jacket, where a sawed off shotgun with rock salt rounds sat. It wouldn’t do more than piss the demon off, but it might buy them some time to get away.

The woman waved a hand and scoffed. “What  _ever_  gave you that idea?”

“You avoided the Devil’s Trap.” Her sister shot her a look that said she shouldn’t have revealed that but their target merely chuckled.

“Wow, you aren’t the brightest pair, are you?” She shrugged, missing the flash of mounting annoyance across Yang’s expression. “Those inscriptions only work so long as they remain intact, and using children’s chalk to make them doesn’t lend a lot of staying power, now does it?” The woman sat back in her seat, lifting her mug again. “If I’d walked on it, I might’ve ruined your hard work. That would make it much harder for you to catch your quarry, now wouldn’t it?”

The sisters exchanged another glance.

“We weren’t trying to catch anyone.” Carefully, Yang spoke, as if weighing with every word just how much she should reveal. “We wanted it to be obvious; figured only a demon would avoid it.”

“Well, I will admit, that  _is_  clever.” She hummed and finished off her cup. “Too bad I played right into your hand.  _But_  I suppose you’re in luck: I know who you  _are_  looking for.”

“Can I get you two ladies refills?” Their waiter returned, apparently surprised his other customer had come to join them. “Oh, sorry, didn’t realize you had a friend coming. Can I get you anything, Miss?”

Yang and Ruby exchanged an even  _more_  puzzled look while the woman nodded politely.

“Oh, yes, might I get a coffee, please? Dark and strong.”

“Just how I like my men.” The waiter chuckled, flashing a smile and winking. “I’ll get that right out.”

“Thanks,” she said, maintaining a little smile until he’d gone. “He’s said that  _every time_  thus far.”

“How did he-” Ruby glanced down, noting the cup she’d been drinking from before had vanished. “Where’d your-”

“Okay, let’s cut this short, because you’re not going to remember it for long anyway.” The woman leaned forward, closing her eyes for a moment. When they opened, they glowed, a bright and shining blue, and a faint halo of light appeared over her head. “My name is Weiss and I’m an angel. Albeit, not in full possession of my powers, but an angel nonetheless.” After a moment, it all disappeared, and she leaned back in the booth. “By virtue of that simple fact, no one remembers me for long. A few minutes out of your line of sight and you would’ve forgotten I existed as well.”

“You can’t be an  _angel_ , come on.” Yang laughed, shaking her head. “Angels don’t exist, there’s no record-”

“Oh, yes, please tell me how no one’s recorded the presence of angels on Remnant  _literally seconds_  after I told you that they wouldn’t remember meeting one long enough  _to_  make a record of it.” Weiss rolled her eyes, accepting the cup the waiter brought and pouring more holy water into it. “Do try to keep up; I’m going to have this conversation again with you tomorrow and I’d like to keep it somewhat short, thanks.”

“I thought angels were supposed to be nicer than this,” Ruby said, earning a sharp look from the angel herself. “Just saying.”

“Look, I probably wouldn’t be as curt, but you’ve happened to catch me about three years past being stuck down here, and I’m a  _touch_  peeved at that.” She took another sip of her drink. “If it weren’t for the fact you have holy water, I probably wouldn’t be bothering, but I can at least pay for it in information, can I not?”

“Tell you what- you can have the whole flask if we can play a lightning round of twenty questions.” Yang nodded, prompting Ruby to pull out her own journal and start writing. “Do we have a deal?”

“I’m not a demon; I don’t make deals.” Weiss paused, humming to herself. “But, I suppose this is more of a trade. Ask your questions.”

“What can you tell us about the demon we’re looking for?”

“Nothing exceptional about the damned thing, although it  _is_  being rather peculiar about the whole ordeal.” The angel lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “The people it’s possessing are just… throw aways, to be crass, but it keeps the vessel it favors locked up in one of the apartments while it takes another tenant for a joy ride. Did you happen to do any surveillance before running off after me?” The sisters nodded. “Then you probably saw a woman- black hair, eyes like a dying ember, has a penchant for red.”

“Yeah, I know who you’re talking about.  _That’s_  the demon?” Yang puffed out a breath and clucked her tongue. “Too bad. She’s pretty.”

“The body is just the demon’s vessel- like a horse. That mortal happens to be this one’s favorite, so if you see her walking around, that’s  _definitely_  the demon in control. She’s not let out of the stable unescorted, if you catch my drift.”

“Which brings us to the next, rather obvious, question of-” The blonde turned, leveling a hard glare at the angel. “Why haven’t you  _done_  anything about her yet?”

At that, she looked like she’d bitten into a lemon while wading through raw sewage. “As much as I hate to admit it: I’m not strong enough yet.” Downing the rest of the coffee, the angel didn’t bother waiting for a refill before filling the mug with only holy water. “I’m trying to recover my strength.”

“From  _what_?”

Weiss, frowned, glaring down at her cup. “I suppose nothing short of the full story is going to satisfy you, so here’s the highlights: I’m a warrior angel, it’s literally what I was created to do, being a soldier for Heaven. But we are under… let’s say strict guidelines.” Her grip tightened on the ceramic. “We’re to stand watch over Heaven’s Gate until the end of days, and only then may we come to Remnant and do battle with the demons of Hell. And I…” Frustration colored her tone as her expression pinched. “I thought it stupid, that we just sat around waiting- demons slip out of Hell every day, and we just stand back, wait for the trumpets to call us down. So I thought a preemptive strike would be a good idea.”

“What went wrong?” Ruby ducked her head slightly at the heated glare she received, though the angel’s ire seemed to lessen a moment later.

“Unfortunately, ambition is kin to a few deadly sins, which apparently being proactive is qualified as if you’re an angel.” She sighed. “On top of that, I made a grave miscalculation in regards to my strength; I couldn’t stand before the gates of Hell without being burned.”

Yang furrowed her brows. “But… you’re an  _angel_.”

“And angels are weak to unholy ground which, it may escape your notice, is what Hell is essentially comprised of, even the gates. And it certainly doesn’t help that Hell was made with the intention of keeping things  _in_  while Heaven was designed to keep things  _out._ ” Weiss reached up, running a hand through her bangs, though it looked more like she was reaching to touch the scar before shifting her aim. “Needless to say, I landed in water far too deep and nearly sank before I could crawl back out. Perhaps if I was older, stronger, then I wouldn’t have been to gravely injured, but even that little foray dimmed my Light and almost snuffed it out.” She waved a hand. “That’s shorthand to say- I lost my ability to return to Heaven, so I’ve been stuck here. Not fallen but not holy; I’m caught somewhere between. Little things like holy water and doing righteous deeds bolster my strength but I’m not likely to be returning to full power in your lifetime, if ever.”

“How old are you?” Ruby had copied down what she could, though her scrawl was hardly legible to just about anyone else. Probably for the best; regular people wouldn’t take too kindly to a book containing mostly notes on otherwordly creatures. “I mean, what qualifies as ‘young’ for an angel.”

“Only about three hundred years. Give or take a decade.”

“Really?” The blonde chuckled. “You don’t look a day over twenty.”

“Oh, aren’t  _you_  the cheeky one.” Weiss rolled her eyes, slumping back in her seat. “I’m running out of coffee and I  _cannot_  take one more time doing the back-and-forth with the waiter. This little Q and A is almost up.”

“Okay, fine, let’s cut to the chase.” Yang sat forward. “How can we catch the demon somewhere private enough to exorcise it?”

“Apartment thirty-six C- demons don’t have an apparent need for gainful employment, the same as I, so you’ll find her there.” Finishing off her cup, the angel got to her feet. “You’ll need help accessing the building. Make sure you top up on holy water so I can once again prove to you that I’m not a demon before getting you to follow me inside.”

“But, we wrote it down-”

“And you won’t remember you did come tomorrow morning; you’ll both be convinced you merely got the dates mixed up and set your little traps tonight.” Weiss gave a little wave, sarcasm heavy in her tone. “I look forward to having this whole conversation again. Until then, fare thee well.”

They watched the angel depart before looking at each other, absolutely flummoxed. And when the waiter came back around, he made no mention of their departed guest or the third coffee cup that mysteriously disappeared after Weiss left.

* * *

Yang puffed out a breath as they pulled up in the same spot as the morning before outside the apartment complex, drumming her hands against the wheel for a moment. Honestly, something about this whole job felt too simple, too easy, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what seemed so off about the whole thing. 

Almost immediately, a familiar figure appeared beside the car from seemingly nowhere but she didn’t startle easy.

“Hello, Weiss.” She flashed a smile, holding up the flask they’d replenished last night. “Would you like a swig now or just down the whole thing.”

Honestly, she absolutely relished the look of pure surprise in the angel’s expression. “You remember me.” Then, the skepticism appeared. “You wrote yourself a note or something?”

“Nah.” She tapped a finger against her temple. “But enough years tracking everything evil, kinda makes you immune to that mind trick crap.”

“ _I_  wrote a note,” Ruby said, leaning over from the passenger side. “But I’m with Yang; we’ve… seen some things. We’re not your normal people.”

Weiss blinked. “You’re the first hunters to possess this skill but I’m honestly not complaining.” Taking the flask, she pulled a hearty swig and sighed, capping it off. “I’ll hang onto this until the deed’s done.”

“Which brings up the next fun filled question.” Popping open her door, Yang got out of the car. “You’ve got any plan aside from getting us in the building?”

“Not specifically but I’ve lived in this apartment building for two months; I’ve been able to gauge the habits of the tenets rather well by now.” Blue eyes darted over to the complex. “The woman goes by the name Cinder and she seems friendly with one of the other tenets. They go for a run together in about thirty minutes and they’ll be gone for an hour. I assume you have some method of getting into her apartment without her being there, yes?”

“What makes you think that?” Not that she had a particular aversion to the idea but confessing that she’d broken into her fair share of dwellings in her hunting career to a literal angel seemed a  _bit_  foolhardy, at the very least.

“Oh, please. I’ve dealt with hunters before.” She rolled her eyes. “After consulting priests on my predicament, your kind were the next I sought out. Few mortals know as much about the divine, arcane, and other assorted arts as you lot, not that it did me much good.”

Yang’s eye twitched and she could feel the heat of her anger rising. “You know, the holier-than-thou attitude can drop anytime.”

“I  _am_  holier than you.”

“Not with your wings clipped.” Brushing past the angel, she went to the trunk and pulled it open, moving aside the false bottom to start assembling the tools they’d need in a small tote. Chalk, salt, two iron daggers just in case, a few more flasks- she didn’t like taking chances, even with a job this easy. “You got the journal?”

“Yeah,” Ruby replied, joining her at the trunk. “But don’t you have this stuff memorized?”

“ _I_  do;  _you_  don’t.” She flashed a smile. “You wanted to hunt, the first thing you have to know- demons are lying, cheating, manipulative creatures, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep from being sent back to Hell. If that means setting your journal on fire, then they’ll try, so you’ll be doing every exorcism until you have at least  _three_  memorized.”

“Why is there more than one, by the way?” Flipping through the pages, her sister shrugged. “I mean, shouldn’t there only be one way to send a demon back to Hell?”

“Have you tried translating them?” Weiss leaned against the rear quarter panel and raised a brow. “That might give you an idea of why there’s more than one.”

“I don’t need to know what it says or what it does specifically- it just needs to get the demon out of the poor bastard being possessed.” Yang zipped up her bag and slung it over one shoulder. “So unless you’d like to give us the short explanation, we should probably get ourselves nice and hidden.”

“If you two intend to squat behind a bush, I’ll not stop you,  _but_  there is the option to simply wait in my apartment.” She pointed at the complex with a tilt to her head. “My window faces the running trail; you’ll not miss your cue.”

She looked over at Ruby. On principle, she probably shouldn’t tell a bonafide angel to ‘go to hell’ and hoped her sister would catch on to her intent, because Ruby could probably word the sentiment much nicer. But, sure enough, they hadn’t reached  _that_  level of nonverbal communication yet.

“Sounds good to me!”

“Very well then, let’s move quickly.” 

As Weiss turned around, Yang lightly punched Ruby’s arm and scowled. “ _This_  is what I meant by hunting isn’t the life for you.”

“She’s an angel and why not?” She shrugged. “It beats hiding behind a bush, which  _was_  our plan.”

She rolled her eyes. In time, her sister might learn a hard lesson she’d already taken to heart: in a world where a friendly face could be used against you, trusting others just wasn’t an option. Shapeshifters, demonic possession, apparitions, tricksters- a whole host of things could just as easily appear to be a friend. So the best option was to have  _no_  friends.

It wasn’t exactly a glamorous life, even if you didn’t count the thieving and lies into account.

They made their way into the building, heading up four flights of stairs and turning down a hallway. When they finally stopped in front of a doorway, the blonde couldn’t help but throw a hand into the air.

“Thirty-six D. You live  _above_  the damn thing?”

“The irony didn’t escape me either.” She shrugged. “I didn’t  _plan_  it though, if that’s your point.”

They entered the apartment, which seemed rather nicely decorated but… a bit too… down to Remnant, honestly. “You did the decorating?”

“No, it came that way.” Weiss paused to touch a picture hanging on the wall. “It… belonged to one of the tenets the demon killed. The superintendent of the building conveniently forgets about it, though, seeing as I now occupy the space.” She turned to Ruby and held out her hand. “Give me your book. Whichever incantations you have, I want to be sure you use one that will hurt the thing like Holy Light.”

Yang raised a brow. “I didn’t think angels were much for revenge.”

“For two months, I’ve been surrounded by pictures of a person who had many loving friends and family,” Weiss said, pouring over the pages. “And his mother called his cellphone every day sobbing until the line disconnected, wishing she understood why he did it. She begged a machine to explain how her son could do something so horrible in her grief.” She looked up, a tight set to her jaw. “I don’t exactly  _get_ the mortal world like the rest of you do; I’m not born to it… but I stood before Hell’s Gate with the full intention of stopping the suffering I saw. Just because my wings are  _clipped_ , as you put it, doesn’t mean I’ve lost that drive.” She turned a page. “It just means I have to be more base in my methods.”

Ruby and Yang looked at each other.

“I’m starting to notice a trend,” she said, heading over to the window to post up, prepared to watch the path below leading off towards a lake for their target.

“What do you mean by that?”

“She means that no one ever seems to get into the demon hunting business because it pays well.” Ruby sighed, going over to sit down on the couch. “Everyone… they lose someone, and find out the truth. Then, they vow to make it stop. And that’s how they spend the rest of their lives.”

A moment of silence hung over the apartment, heavy as a guillotine.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” They both turned a little to look at Weiss, who looked genuinely contrite. 

Ruby smiled and Yang turned away, back to the view outside the window.

“Yeah… us too.”

The angel returned to her task and they bided their time until they could strike.

* * *

It took her three tries but Ruby eventually picked the lock to apartment thirty-six C, admitting entry to the trio. Yang didn’t exactly think highly of Weiss tagging along but for be it for her to forbid the angel from joining the exorcism; even if she didn’t trust her, she could understand the drive to see the demon put down herself.

Boy, could she understand it.

“Okay, that should do it.” Ruby stood up, admiring her handiwork. They’d opted for the easiest route- lift up the rug just past the entryway, put down a Devil’s Trap, and lie in wait- so this constituted the trickiest part of the whole endeavor. Making the damn thing big enough it couldn’t be missed while small enough to be covered up by the rug sometimes warranted a bit of an artistic eye, and her sister sure as hell had it.

“Good job,” Yang said, slipping on a pair of gloves that held water remarkably well. “Wait for the paint to dry, then move the rug over it.” She looked around, brows furrowing when she didn’t immediately spot the angel. “Weiss? Where’d you go?”

“Over here.” Ducking out of a doorway with her lips pursed into a thin line, the angel shook her head. “I thought it might be prudent to see what the demon’s been up to in here.”

“Did you find something?”

She nodded gravely. “A black altar.”

Yang paused in unscrewing the cap to a flask, starting towards the room Weiss just exited. “You’re kidding.”

“Wait, what does that mean?” Ruby looked between them. “I mean, I know black altars are bad, usually used in black magic and summoning and stuff, but why’s that a surprise? I mean, it’s a demon-”

“Black altars are used by mortals to commune with dark forces,” Weiss said, allowing the blonde to pass her by and lay her own eyes on the altar itself. Almost immediately, she could feel her anger rising again, noting the blueprints for the building pinned up around it and pictures of various tenets- the majority of which had already fallen victim to the damn thing. Only three pictures remained, and one of them happened to be the cute redhead the demon had taken off running with hardly twenty minutes ago. “Used by demons, however, they can do far more than simply commune.”

“Long distance possession, that’s a new one.” She spat, turning back to head into the main room. “This demon knows a few too many tricks. How are you coming along with those translations?”

“I can  _read_  Latin, you fool; there’s no other language in Heaven.” Weiss rolled her eyes, flipping open to a page and handing the journal to Ruby. “Use this one; it begs the power to inflict upon the departing demon the same agony it inflicted during its tour of Remnant. A touch longer, but more than worth it to discourage the damned thing from rising again.”

“So, there’s no way to banish it for good?” Silver eyes began pouring over the words, finger tracing over the unfamiliar ones as she puzzled out the proper pronunciation. “I thought Hell was designed to keep things in anyway.”

“Yes, well, consider it a necessary consequence.” The angel waved her hand flippantly. “After all, the only thing in existence that can lay claim to perfection is God, and Hell’s the furthest thing from her.”

“Wait, God’s a chick?” Yang paused, then nodded. “Heaven just got a lot more appealing.”

“Believe me when I say it’s not that simple and I’d rather not get into it,” Weiss said, brushing past her. “Are we ready?”

“Almost!” Ruby pulled the rug over the dry trap. “Now we just need holy water and places to hide.”

“Or we could go back to my apartment and wait-”

“No.” Yang scowled at the angel, a sour frown twisting her lips. “Look, I don’t know how they do things up in Heaven, but I’m getting sick of this ‘wait in luxury’ crap.” She pointed at the rug. “We’re not setting a trap and then  _hoping_  it works like intended; we’re going to sit our asses right here and make sure that thing doesn’t somehow get tipped off.”

“How’d the two of you survive this long when your plans seem to put you near the epicenter of whatever dangerous thing you’re trying to track down?” Weiss snapped back, hands on her hips. “I’ve watched your kind from on high for centuries and it’s never failed to surprise me how those with the most knowledge, the most enlightenment, the most tools to fight the forces of unmitigated evil also manage to be the  _stupidest_ -”

“That’s it!” Her anger ignited in that moment as she pulled the shotgun from inside her jacket and pumped it once, raising it up. “I’m adding ‘angel’ to my kill count!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Would you two  _stop_!” Ruby darted between them, holding up a hand to keep the two separated. “Yang, what’s gotten  _into_  you?”

“Look, I’m not sitting here, taking a lecture from some washed up has been guardian angel who couldn’t lift a damn finger to help anyone!” She shouted, burning rage coursing through her, and Dad had told her countless times that she would get herself killed one of these days going into a job angry, but she couldn’t think about that in the heat of the moment. “She wants to run her mouth, then I’ll send her ass packing.”

“I’m  _not_  a guardian angel-”

“You’re hardly an angel at all!”

“That’s not what I mean!” That seemed to be the last straw for Weiss as her voice raised, matching Yang’s in volume and intensity, blue eyes shining bright for a moment. After a brief pause, she continued at a much more reasonable tone. “I mean that I am, literally, not a guardian angel. I’m a warrior angel, a soldier; it’s a completely different family. All I know how to do is wait and fight when the time comes. The one time I  _didn’t_  do that, I landed here, so I hardly think it should count against me that I want to do what I’m  _supposed_  to do. I don’t want to mess up this time.”

Yang lowered her shotgun but glared harder. “Yeah, well, excuse me for not being sympathetic. An entire family of angels and not a damn one of you could save our mom? You just watched her die from your perch in Heaven and you want sympathy from me?” She shook her head. “Fat chance. We do things our way because it  _works_ ; when angels actually start saving people from demons, then I’ll lend an ear to your way of doin’ things.”

Turning around, she stomped into the kitchen, intending to wait there until the demon returned.

“I believe this is the definition of irony.” 

The angel’s voice grated on her nerves, and she could feel her anger fanning higher and a headache beginning to encroach. “How do you figure?”

“Ultimately, we’re both angry about the same thing.” She looked back over, quickly, but turned her gaze away, because she hated how open and honest Weiss seemed just then. “You’re angry no one was there to help in your hour of need. I’m angry that we’re expected to wait for some sign before we  _can_  help people. And I’m angry that, even living above this blasted demon, I haven’t the skills or the strength to stop it- angels aren’t taught the mortals’ methods of dispatching the creatures, it’s something we’re supposed to innately possess, and bereft of that, I feel the same as you do. Helpless.”

“I’m  _not_  helpless.” 

“Not now. But you were, and you overcame that.” A heavy sigh. “Another thing we share: I hate me just as much as you do for failing to do the same.”

“Yang doesn’t  _hate_  you,” Ruby said quickly. “Yang, tell her.” For a moment, she ignored her sister’s plea in favor of unscrewing the cap to her flask. “Yang!”

“I  _don’t_ hate you, alright?” She didn’t bother turning around, instead pouring the holy water onto her gloves, though not enough to splash it everywhere; she wanted it soaked into the material, not leaving water stains on the kitchen counter. “But, yeah, I’m pissed that there really are angels up there not doing a damn thing to save Mom or Penny or so many other people. I’m angry you’ve been here for  _two months_  and couldn’t do anything more than watch and wait. And I get it, it’s not your fault, it’s like blaming a child for not knowing how a manual transmission works, but this is driver’s ed, so strap in, shut up, and learn a thing or two.” She flexed her hands, feeling the water slick the inside of her palms as the fabric became fully saturated. “Grab the rosary, Rubes, and duck behind the entertainment center. Weiss, get behind the couch. There’s only one way that demon is getting in here, and only one way it’s getting out.”

With a nod, Weiss followed the instructions while Ruby walked over, lowering her voice.

“So, do you feel better now that you can add ‘bitched out an angel’ to the list of things you’ve accomplished?”

“I didn’t-”

“You absolutely did, sis, and your eyes are doing that thing again.” A finger wagged in her face. “You might not be as angry as you were that one time with Dad, but you’re getting there. I can see it.”

Biting her tongue, she returned her attention to the flask, screwing the cap enough to be easily used later. “What do you want from me, Ruby?”

“First, for you to calm down and stop putting blame where it doesn’t belong.” A small hand laid on her wrist, stopping her motions entirely. “Weiss is just as responsible for Mom’s death as I am for Penny’s.”

“That’s not-”

“It’s not an exact comparison, an angel from on high and a girl from a family of hunters, but it  _is_  a fair one. We both had the power to do something. We were both stopped- her by tradition, or whatever, and me by fear.” She swallowed hard, seeing the dismay and agony in silver eyes. “I was scared, Yang. And it froze me. And if we could turn back time, I’d be more prepared and I’d do whatever I could. I’d save Penny. Look at Weiss now and tell me you honestly think she wouldn’t do the same for Mom.”

Against her better judgment, she turned and saw the angel huddled down behind the couch, the bend to her neck and shoulders…

… the scar across her eye.

Lilac eyes flicked over to the clock on the stove top. “Get in position.” Almost immediately, Ruby reared up to continue the lecture but she cut her sister off. “I’ll apologize later. We’re about T minus ten to this demon getting back, and we’re banking on estimates, remember?”

A sigh left the other woman’s lips. “Just don’t forget.”

“I won’t,” she replied, pulling out another flask just in case and grabbing her shotgun.

Setting aside her frustration with the angel, she slipped into the mindset she would need to take down a demon that had more tricks up its sleeve than the usual sort.

It seemed even the  _easy_  jobs couldn’t be  _that_  easy.

* * *

Weiss waited behind the couch, knees pulled into her chest and arms resting atop them, head bent as the minutes ticked past. Yang’s words had bitten deep, far deeper than she probably knew, and snuck into a festering wound the angel had harbored for three years at least. Really, she couldn’t fault the mortal; some part of her felt the same indignation, saw the same unjust deaths, the suffering, the pain, and she wanted to stop it.

But in the end… perhaps she’d fallen too far to be of use to anyone.

Suddenly, the quality of the air changed- a subtle difference, beyond what mortals could discern, but she could practically taste sulfur in the air. Considering how long she’d been living in close proximity, it felt like the scent would never leave her, but she could tell when the demon neared.

Quietly, she peeked out from behind the couch, catching Yang’s eyes and motioning towards the door, receiving a nod in reply. Ruby was next, also preparing, and the three waited with bated breath while the metallic click of a lock sliding back rang out through the apartment.

“Cinder, are you sure about this?” A voice- woman, familiar, had to be the redhead.

“What’s there not to be sure of?” That voice, Cinder, the sultry smoothness of it set her nerves on edge, every fiber of her being screaming for her to act just they had for the past two months. The heavy stench of sulfur accompanied the nearing of the voices and the closing of the door. “Very, very soon, things are going to start looking up for us. All I need  _you_  to do is-” The footsteps became muffled. “What-”

Yang immediately pivoted out into view, her shotgun raised and finger on the trigger. Almost immediately, Ruby and Weiss followed, and the angel could see the surprise and panic in two faces. Cinder’s for obvious reasons and the redhead’s- Pyrrha, she thought the woman’s name was, she lived on the first floor- probably out of mortal shock but something… something about her expression, no, her eyes, piercing emerald…

“Get the  _fuck_  out of here.” Yang shouted at the redhead, though she kept her attention on Cinder. “Go now or I shoot.”

Ruby, meanwhile, wasted no time in beginning the exorcism proper. “Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas-”

“You little brat!” Cinder’s expression screwed up in fury, eyes shining bright red for a moment as the demon within revealed itself.

“I said GO!” 

Apparently startled out of her stupor- and looking on the verge of a heart attack considering the way her brows drew together- the redhead turned, wretching the door open and bolting out, using so much force it bounced off the wall and back closed.

Lucky break.

“You really think you can come into  _my_  home and ambush me like this?” The demon growled, limbs shaking from the force of trying to resist the exorcism.

“Bitch, this ain’t  _your_  home.” Yang pulled the trigger, sending a blast of salt into the demon’s chest. It winded her, brought her to her knees within the Devil’s Trap, but also likely drew more attention to them than they’d want. “Remnant’s my turf, and you’re not invited.”

“Oh, well are you the big bad hunter,” Cinder said, a growl at the edge of her words. “Let’s see if your bite’s as bad as your bark, mutt.” 

Then words began to come, in Latin, and Weiss felt dread stick in her chest. “Yang, get back.”

“Look, angel, this isn’t anything I haven’t heard before.” The blonde rolled her shoulders. “In fact, right about now, I’m about to-” Just then, the floor beneath her began to tremble and shake and she pulled the trigger again, but not before a burst of hellfire erupted from beneath her feet. “Be set on fire, yup, damnit.” She started patting at the flashes of flames that began eating at her jacket without even the slightest bit of concern in her tone. Although, she did take a quick step forward and lay a brutal punch on the left side of the demon’s jaw, the holy water she’d poured on her gloves beforehand sizzling away at the flesh. “Always my damn jacket.”

“Yang-”

“Keep going,” she said, not bothering to glance at her sister in favor of reloading the shotgun. “Trust me; I don’t burn that easy, Sis. And it’s not as strong as it thinks it is.”

“Eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare,” Ruby said, though there was a warble to her voice.

But a gleam came to Cinder’s eyes just then and Weiss could already see the gears turning, leaping over the back of the couch to dart in front of one sister while calling out to the other. “Holy water, now Yang!”

To her mild surprise, the blonde didn’t hesitate, flicking off the cap and swinging her arm in an arc to spray the demon. However, a howling wind had started up, that came from nowhere and everywhere all at once. The journal was nearly ripped from Ruby’s hands but the angel acted quickly to steady her, keep her on her feet and the book in her hands.

Latin flowed from the demon’s lips, a thunderous voice that began to shake the walls of the apartment and threatened to break the Devil’s Trap.

“Ruby, finish the incantation!” She called above the din. However, she could read the pained expression on the woman’s face, how the buffeting winds and bellowing voice were proving a nigh insurmountable challenge. Seeing no other choice, she drew out her Light and threw her hands up. She didn’t have much, not the strength to do this properly, but they weren’t exactly running high on options at present. Almost immediately, the wind and sound stopped, a small cone of silence enveloping them. “Ruby.” Silver eyes flashed up to her. “The incantation.”

Jerkily, she nodded, looking back to the journal and finding her place again. “Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei-”

Weiss looked over her shoulder at Yang, who seemed to be bearing the brunt of the demon’s assault. It would stretch her too thin to try protecting the blonde but she continued holding up the barrier around the younger of the two mortals. But it was waning with every passing moment.

“Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine-” Ruby was obviously fighting the impulse to look up, to see her sister, because they couldn’t even hear the blonde’s cries as she was pushed back by a blast of fire. “Cum quo percutiet impie sancti luminis-” Weiss had to hand it to the mortals. They persevered in a way that would be admirable for any angel, much less a a creature of flesh and blood. Even as her own strength waned, she could look to them and gain something, something she hadn’t felt since she’d found herself landed in an alleyway on Remnant. Faith, and from faith she could draw hope and strength. “Libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!”

As the last word of the incantation rang out, Weiss fell to her knees, in absolute agony as her entire being felt stretched thin over too great a mass. The demon’s dying cry rang in her ears as black smoke poured from the vessel’s gaping maw, filling the inside of the Devil’s Trap before dispersing into nothingness.

Yang sat up, brushing her knuckle across her mouth to wipe away a bit of blood. “Got ya, demon bitch.”

The vessel fell to the ground, boneless, as everything settled. Aside from papers being blown every way and a few cracked floorboards, nothing seemed out of place in the apartment. Almost like nothing had happened.

“Is… she…” Ruby’s eyes fell on the vessel, the body not moving in the slightest since the demon left it.

Without a lot of pomp or circumstance about it, the blonde walked over and knelt down, pressing two fingers to the neck, just under the jaw. “She’s gone.” Her expression soured. “By my guess, been gone for a while now, too.” She stood up, shaking her head. “Damn demons. They ride us like- whoa.” Expression pinching in concern, the woman took a few steps away from the body. “Angel, you okay? You’re… not looking so great.”

A quip lay at the tip of her tongue but she hadn’t the strength to voice it, instead pouring all her energy into just remaining somewhat upright on her hands and knees. If she hit the floor… she didn’t think she’d have the strength to get up.

Before she could really process it, Weiss found herself on her back, being propped up- likely in Ruby’s arms, all things considered, though she felt Yang’s larger presence by her side shortly after, and something cool being pressed against her lips.

Then, strength. Her holy light being brought back just a little, enough for her to open her eyes.

“Weiss?” Ruby pulled the flask of holy water away, in the event she wanted to talk. “Is that helping?”

“Yes,” she said, sighing heavily. “But I need more.”

“Take it.” Yang nodded, giving her sister the signal to continue while shifting to bear most of the angel’s weight. 

About halfway through, she had the strength to sit up under her own power and took the flask into her own hand. By the time it was finished, she felt about as strong as usual, or perhaps a little more. “Thank you.”

“Nah, thank you. Here.” The blonde produced another flask from her jacket, taking the empty one. “You could probably use another.”

“I’ve still got the one from this morning.” She pulled it out, unscrewing the cap. 

Before she could put it to her lips, a hand stopped her, lilac eyes darkening slightly as Yang’s expression hardened. “That one, payment for getting us in here. The one you just finished? Healing, because we patch each other up after a fight. This one? Because you did a helluva job protecting my sis. That’s a debt I don’t let go unpaid.”

With a nod, she accepted the flask, more because she realized that arguing with the woman would get her absolutely nowhere… and because she rightfully couldn’t turn the stuff down. Half the time she entered a church, she couldn’t be seen at all; something about the holy ground gave her  _just enough_  light but not enough strength, making her unable to control the perceptions of mortals around her. Trying to catch a holy man who happened to be willing to part with some holy water, or bless some, seemed much harder than it had any right to be.

She had to admit… it felt a little like providence.

“So… what do we do now?” Ruby looked at the body with a frown. “Do we just leave her here?”

“I’d rather salt and burn the bones, but that other chick’s probably called the cops by now. We don’t have the luxury.” Yang got up, quickly going over to the kitchen and gathering up her bag. “We need to grab our stuff and get gone before we get arrested. The cops’ll probably chalk this up to a heart attack or something and think she’s a nutjob with the altar and the markings.”

Weiss looked around, at the sisters as they moved quickly, and realized she had to do something.

And she had to do it fast.

* * *

Ruby put everything into the bag and took one last look around, but noticed something. “Where’s Weiss?”

“What?” Yang straightened up, throwing the bag’s strap over her shoulder and furrowing her brows. “She’s gone.”

“Yeah.” That worried her. The angel seemed entirely drained after the exorcism. How could she just… up and disappear? “Maybe we should-”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Rubes, but we  _really_  don’t have the time.” Her sister nodded towards the door. “I’m sure Weiss can find us if she needs us. We gotta go.”

“Right.”

* * *

They threw their bags and things in the trunk of Bumblebee, slamming it shut. They’d managed to beat the cops and none of the other tenets seemed to notice something remiss, going about their day as normal. No one really paid them a second glance.

“This feels too easy.” Yang shook her head, looking around. She did, too, but heard no sirens in the distance, no mutterings about disturbances, nothing out of the ordinary. “Something’s off.”

“I shielded you.” They turned to see Weiss standing near the front of the car, arms crossed over her chest. “Kept you hidden from the other mortals’ perceptions. None of them will remember you… but do you remember me?”

“Yeah, Weiss, we literally just saw you.” Ruby pointed back at the building. “Which, by the way, we banish a demon together, turn our backs for like  _two_  seconds, and then you disappear? What was up with that?”

Surprisingly, the angel didn’t seem the least bit offended by the chiding in her tone. Instead, her shoulders just kinda… slumped. “You remember me.”

“Yeah, Weiss, we remember you,” Yang said with a shrug. “What, this morning didn’t prove that the mind trick crap won’t work?”

“I thought perhaps it had something to do with your goal.” She waved a hand towards the complex. “Demon’s gone, you have no reason to be here… seems reasonable that I would fade from your memory.” The angel shook her head. “But I didn’t. You  _remember_  me.”

“While I would  _love_  to go through the whole process of giving you hell after all that talk yesterday about ‘repeating conversations’, there’s still probably cops coming-”

“Let me come with you,” Weiss said, even going so far as to clasp her hands together. “Please.”

“No,” Yang replied immediately, waving off the request and walking around to the driver’s side. “Don’t get me wrong, nothing personal, appreciate the help, but I don’t roll with newbies.” She stopped, glancing over at Ruby. “Unless, ya know, they’re related to me. Come on, Rubes.”

“Wait!” The angel’s mouth open and closed for a moment before her gaze fell to her feet. “Just for three months. Please. Then, I’ll be gone, and you’ll never see me again.”

“Why the time limit?” Ruby waited back by the trunk, leaning against the car. “Seems kinda… arbitrary.”

Without looking, she could tell her sister didn’t really like that she was appearing to humor the angel but something about it seemed just off enough that she couldn’t turn her back on Weiss. Not unless she could place the look in her eyes, her posture- she felt like she recognized it from somewhere.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like? Being forgotten by everyone?” Weiss looked up then, a bit of pride and defiance shining in her eyes. “In Heaven, I had family. I had other angels. I had company. Here? I’m alone- well and truly alone. I gave my name to everyone I met and it didn’t matter because they’d blink and it was like I’d never been there at all. For three years, I’ve walked among you mortals, always separated by this thin veil that kept me shrouded, kept me from becoming a memory. Until you two.” She looked between the sisters. “You’re the only people who  _can_  remember me. And even after you’re both dead and gone, I’ll still be here. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get back to Heaven.” A pause, and it looked for all the world like she was trying to hold back tears. “All I’m asking for is three months where I’m not alone anymore. I know that seems like a long time to you… but I’m staring down a very long barrel called eternity. A little mercy, that’s all I ask.”

It hit Ruby like a ton of bricks. Yeah, she’d definitely seen that expression of lost hopelessness, of feeling abandoned before. In the mirror. It’s how she felt when Dad and Yang went on hunts and she wasn’t allowed to go, dropped off with her Uncle or the hunter priest who taught Dad everything he knew. It was how she felt when Yang dropped her off at college, making her promise to stay and study, to ‘make something of herself’ and all that. Being pushed away by the only family she had left, even if she understood her sister’s intentions- it still hurt. It made her feel alone.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “You can come.”

“What? No. Absolutely not.” Yang shook her head, glaring at her from over top the Camero. “Ruby.”

“What did Dad always say?” She shot back, returning the look with a glare of her own. “Don’t roll with hunters you didn’t train, you remember that part, but do you remember what comes after? You don’t give a breadcrumb to a starving man; if you’re going to tell them the truth, you tell them the whole thing, and you make sure they know what they’re doing.” Ruby held her sister’s gaze. “Last thing we need is half trained hunters screwing it up for everybody else. He told you  _that_ , too.”

“She already  _knows_  the truth.”

“And we showed her how to exorcise a demon. Is that all there is to hunting, Yang?”

She could tell, in the moment when her sister’s face twisted and her eyes flashed red with anger, that she’d won the fight. As much as Yang might protest having someone else in with them, there remained a very large kernel of truth to the lesson their Dad preached: amateurs and cocky hunters caused more trouble than they were worth, and neither of them really wanted to know how badly it could backfire letting an angel who apparently could alter perception of mortals in a big way go off on her own. At the very least, they could equip her with the knowledge of how mortals dealt with the evil creatures prowling Remnant.

“I don’t like this,” she said, wretching open the driver’s door. “I  _don’t_  like this.”

“You’re being stubborn,” Ruby replied, getting in on the passenger side. “You know you would’ve felt guilty saying ‘no’ before we hit the city limits.”

“So?” Yang grumbled, jamming the key into the ignition. “Also, does it  _look_  like Bumblebee has four doors?”

“What do you- oh. Right.” She reached for the handle, preparing to get back out. “Sorry, Weiss-”

“That won’t be necessary.” Both sisters jumped, turning to look in the backseat. “Angel, remember? It comes in handy on occasion.”

They exchanged a glance before Ruby shrugged, settling back into her seat and grabbing for the belt. “Well. That’s convenient.” Her brows furrowed, the wind blowing and catching the edge of a yellow slip of paper beneath the windshield wiper. “Uh, Yang.”

“What?” Lilac eyes followed to where she’d pointed. “Are you  _fucking_  serious? A ticket?” Yang groaned, leaning her head back. “Do I have to get it?”

“Here.” In the blink of an eye, the slip of paper disappeared from beneath the wiper and reappeared beside the blonde’s head, held out by the angel’s lithe fingers.

“Uh… thanks.” She reached up and grabbed it.

“Can you…  _always_  do that?”

“Not exactly, but I’ve had more holy water in the past twenty minutes than in the last three years.” Weiss hummed thoughtfully. “I believe the appropriate comparison is ‘like a kid on a sugar high’. I have  _a lot_  of energy.”

“Yeah, well, be ready for a long haul, ‘cause I’m kinda picky on bathroom breaks.” Lilac eyes skimmed the ticket for a moment before a sigh burst from her lips, Yang leaning forward until she could hit her head against the steering wheel, holding the ticket out to Ruby.

She took it, had a look at it for a couple of seconds, and then sighed. “Unbelievable.”

“I can make it go away-”

“It’s not a ticket,” Yang said, sitting up straight. “It’s a message. From our Dad.”

“How does he  _do_  that?” Silver eyes darted around but she couldn’t find hide nor hair of the man. No indication that he’d been there, aside from the slip of paper, and nothing showing where he’d gone. Like he’d just…  _popped_  in and out of existence the way Weiss did, except while being just a regular person.

Her lips tugged up in a smirk. As vexing as that habit of his could be, she’d always thought of him like a superhero because of it.

Her sister didn’t seem nearly as thrilled of course. “Beats me.”

“What does the message say?”

“They’re coordinates.” Ruby explained, pulling out her scroll. “Knowing Dad, it’s the location for another job.” Pulling out her scroll, she took a quick glance at the map, breath catching in her throat. “Yeah. Definitely another job.”

“What, you see something?”

For a moment, she thought about answering Yang’s question truthfully… but held back at the last second. “No, I just- got a feeling, ya know? Seems like a rundown town out in the middle of Vale. Probably  _something_  going on. I’ll, uh, start pulling obits.”

“You’d think he could at least give us a hint. Hangman, scrabble,  _something_.” Turning over the car, she threw the gear into drive, but didn’t quite pull out onto the street yet. “Hey, Weiss.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry. For chewing you out earlier.” Easing off the brake, Yang got them on the road, turning away from the apartment complex as soon as possible as the sound of sirens in the distance reached them. “I got a lotta anger and not a whole lot of control over it. Not an excuse, just- you didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”

“For the record… I don’t think your anger is entirely misplaced.” Weiss shrugged. “If I’d started small instead of trying to deal with the source of the problem… perhaps I would’ve been more successful. Maybe I could’ve saved your-”

“No. That was eighteen years ago. Trust me, everyone on this mudball wishes they could turn back time to save someone… but all you can do is put that anger towards saving someone tomorrow.” Clearing her throat, lilac eyes bounced between the road, Ruby, and the rearview mirror. “Which reminds me, good job. You and Rubes both; that was your first exorcism, and you two did pretty good. Probably saved that redhead and who knows how many others.  _That_  is something to be proud of, ya know? Just, next time, don’t  _ever_  stop the incantation, though.” She shook her head. “You give a demon a chance to talk and someone’s going to die. And you, Angel.” She pressed her lips into a thin line. “We’ll give you the juice, as long as you can keep up that cone of silence thing. That could be  _really_  useful down the line.”

Ruby looked out the window, trying to hide her smile. “So, at which point was your ‘oh no’ moment? You said you get at least one a job.”

Yang laughed. “Cute, sis, real cute.” She reached over, ruffling the brunette’s hair. “Okay, so you did better than good, but there’s still room for improvement. Happy?”

“Yeah.” Silver eyes fell on a bright orange pumpkin sitting on yet another stoop.

_“Ultimately, I think it’s a bit ironic. I actually love pumpkins! Carving them up, making pie, or soup- there’s actually a lot of things you can do with a pumpkin! But for years, I just… hated the sight of them.”_

_“Well, how about we go get one now? We can carve it up and everything!”  
_

_“Ruby, it’s not even Halloween! And besides, whose dorm would we even keep it in?”  
_

_“Why don’t we get an apartment? Then, we can do whatever we want. Pumpkins, all year round!”  
_

_“Together?”  
_

_“Yeah!”  
_

_“I think I’d like that. Very much.”  
_

As they left the city, her thoughts continued to wander and she didn’t stop the tears that slid down her cheeks. Yang said nothing, though she did reach over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Weiss… remained quiet, as if still sussing out when her input would and wouldn’t be appreciated.

“Hey, Weiss,” she said, figuring she might as well do her best to break down the walls now. Not sure when they’d get a chance once they caught wind of whatever awaited them. “What’s your favorite food?”

“Angel food cake,” her sister replied.

“I’m not sure which I prefer- the smartass jokes or the yelling.”

“Wait, angels can cuss?”

“The things angels can do that you don’t know could fill a book.”

Pulling out her own journal, Ruby clicked her pen. “Ready when you are.”

Looking back over her shoulder, she caught sight of Weiss’ small smile. 

Maybe that part all the other hunters got wrong about the job. Maybe making friends was actually pretty easy and a good idea to boot.

After all, how many people could say they had an actual angel rolling with them to hunt down and destroy evil?


	3. Blood Bond

Ruby sighed, flipping through the pages of the journal, though she couldn’t claim to be absorbing even one word of it. The motel room ceiling fan turned slowly, creaking every now and again, providing the only other noise in the room. Finally, it appeared Weiss had enough.

“I’m going outside,” she said, sitting up and getting off the bed, heading for the door. “This is getting ridiculous.”

“It’s only been two days.” Knowing better than to let the angel wander off on her own, Ruby got up and followed, closing the door as they went out into the parking lot. “Sometimes, it’s like this.”

“Sitting around, waiting?” Weiss threw her arms wide. “What are we even waiting for? We’ve searched every newspaper and there’s no mysterious deaths or sudden changes in behavior or luck,  _nothing_  to indicate something supernatural going on at all.”

“Dad sent us here.”

She opened her mouth and then immediately clicked it closed, not wanting to touch the subject of the sisters’ absent father. Yang had already gone through the whole process of chewing the angel out after one thoughtless comment and trying to keep the two from yelling at each other had nearly ran Ruby ragged in the few short days they’d been travelling together. At this point, she’d lost count of who started the little spats between the two, but she ended up being the one putting a stop to them more often than not.

“I was under the impression that we came out here for some sort of message. Not for a job to  _hopefully_  show up,” Weiss eventually said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I just hate the waiting.”

“Yang, too.”

“Yes, but  _she_  has a car.” With a sigh, Ruby turned to head back into the motel room until something caught her eye, leaning up against a tree at the edge of the parking lot. Brows furrowed, she started towards it, tilting her head. It appeared to be a bow of some sort- the weapon kind, hewn from wood with decorative markings along the curve. “Where are you going?”

“Look at this.” She knelt down, looking around and finding the motel just as empty as when they’d pulled up two days ago. Besides that, the thing looked old, as if it’d been left out in the weather for far too long. Moss had even started growing on part of it, and she brushed it off with ease before picking it up. “This thing must be ancient.”

“I’ve seen those markings before.” The angel’s brows pulled together as she accepted it when Ruby handed it to her. “It’s… been centuries, but I’m quite certain these are from a tribe that used to occupy this area.”

“You mean from before Vale was unified as a kingdom? Really?” She accepted the bow back, examining the string- which remained remarkably intact despite the age, having yellowed long ago. “What’s it doing out here?”

The roar of Yang’s engine as she pulled into the parking lot registered dimly but only truly earned her attention when the squeal of brakes being slammed on made her head snap up, in time to catch her sister practically jumping out of the driver’s seat.

“What are you two doing!” Her hands reached up, burying in blonde locks as a mix of frustration and panic came over her expression.

“We found a bow-”

“Cursed objects one-oh-one, Rubes! If it looks ancient and out of place,  _it’s probably cursed!_ ” She jabbed a finger at the thing in her hands. “Whatever you do,  _don’t touch it!_ ”

“I-” She glanced down at the bow. “I knew that. But it’s not cursed! Right, Weiss?”

“Of  _course_  it’s not cursed.” The angel set her hands on her hips and scowled. “If there was anything malicious about the thing,  _I_  would’ve felt it.”

“Oh, yeah, like you can fly, right?”

“ _Must_  you throw that in my face  _every_  time? I’m getting stronger!”

“Yang!” Ruby held it up, pointing at it to emphasize her point. “It’s just a bow, probably one of those novelty knock offs from that ‘authentic’ shop up the street and left out in the rain. There’s nothing cursed about it.” She waved it around. “See? Nothing’s happening.”

“Okay, first off, not every curse is instant. Secondly, we’ve got work to do, so stop playing with it anyway!” She jerked a thumb towards Bumblebee. “We might actually have a job.”

“Oh thank the Lord,” Weiss said, heading towards the car immediately. “Another demon?”

“No, probably not.” Yang sighed and drug a hand down her face. “Way more annoying, if the info’s right.”

“More annoying?” Ruby tilted her head while going to join the others, having dropped the bow beneath the tree. “What’s going on?”

“Alright, pop quiz time, for both of you.” They all climbed into the Camero, pulling out of the parking lot. “Local bar got roughed up by a group of leather wearing assholes with attitude problems. None of them are locals and no one knows where they came from. Sound familiar?”

She hummed, mentally pouring over the information she’d studied in the journals while the angel put forth her own guess.

“Sounds like mortals.” She scoffed. “Are we community police now as well?”

Ruby snapped her fingers. “Vampires!”

“Excuse you.”

“Vampires- remember how when we came into town, they mentioned the local cattle auction was canceled?” She turned in her seat to look back at Weiss. “Vampires operate in groups, they’ll usually use cattle to supplement their thirst for blood, especially when they have newly turned vampires in a low population area. It draws less attention. They wear leather to sorta explain away why they smell like cows. Uh, they’re also hyper aggressive, which would explain trashing the bar.”

“Good!” Yang nodded with a smile. “You pass, Sis. That’s what I’m thinkin’. Go ahead and bring up missing persons reports from this area of Vale; sounds like they have to have at least one newbie to account for the cattle kills.”

With a nod, Ruby pulled out her scroll and started doing the requisite research.

“How on Remnant did you father guess that they’d come this way?”

“Probably the auction- large amount of cattle waiting to be shipped off.” The blonde shrugged. “Would definitely be a draw for a batch of vamps looking for easy food.”

“Uh oh.” Silver eyes darted over to her sister, a frown curling her lips.

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“I’ve got at least twenty people going missing in a hundred mile radius of this town. Majority are young and fit- and these are only the ones reported. Some are as recent as yesterday; they’re disappearing at almost one a day.”

“That… sounds like an abnormally large number.” Weiss leaned forward from the backseat, peeking over Ruby’s shoulder. “Vampires were nearly wiped out almost two centuries ago by hunters- I remember watching that bloodbath from Heaven. Since then, they’ve only survived by remaining in small numbers, correct?”

“Oh, you’re reading the journals, too? That’s good.” Yang pulled a face, equal parts surprised and impressed. “I mean, yeah, hunters have banded together to hunt vampires at least once every twenty years or so, and the last one hardly turned any up.” She glanced at both of them. “Honestly? If there  _are_  twenty new vampires, I’ve never seen or heard of a group that large in almost a hundred years. Dad and I hunted two a few years ago, and they seemed pretty convinced that they were the last of their kind. Kept going on and on about how we were going to make them extinct.”

From the silence that followed, Ruby stopped reading through the various missing persons reports so she could be prepared for the impending argument.

“Alright.” The frustration in the angel’s voice made her take a surreptitious breath. “Humor me. Why are vampires hunted so vigorously by mortals?” Weiss settled back. “Because, frankly, I don’t see much difference between them and any other predator out there, and that’s  _including_  mortals.”

Much to her surprise, Yang didn’t immediately shoot back a smartass response, instead humming. “Well, for one thing, they like to snack on humans and Faunus. That wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t insist on draining their food source entirely, so the whole ‘killing people’ thing is a mark against them.” She sighed. “On top of that, they’re immortal, so there’s a direct correlation between how many vampires there are and how much blood they need to survive, and it skews a helluva lot higher for each vampire that’s around.” Then a shrug. “But, really, I think the part that pisses us off most is that they have a complete disdain for what they used to be and usually express that by making mortals’ lives hell even when they  _aren’t_  outright killing them. Take for example the bar from last night.” She looked up at the rearview mirror. “So, really, you’re right. They can be just as cruel as people, and people can be crazy as hell to begin with, but vamps don’t learn and they can’t die of stupid near as often as a human or Faunus. Like, uh, take a poacher for example. Yeah, not much difference between them and poachers- could pretty easily not be dicks but choose to be anyway. Problem is, a poacher can get gored by a rhino. Unless you behead a vampire, there’s no stopping them, and most people think you’re supposed to  _stake_  the bastards.” 

“And why is that?”

“Oh, I actually have a theory about that!” Ruby turned in her seat, relieved that  _this_  time the conversation didn’t immediately devolve into an argument. “I’ve been reading a lot of the vampire lore and public perception of vampires started shifting right around the time the first purge happened.  _I_  think that there were enough vampires in higher society positions who managed to hide and used their influence to basically rewrite their own lore, make it easier for them to survive in the coming decades by making the things that could kill them more scarce.” She wiggled the scroll in her hand. “Nowadays, everyone thinks a clove of garlic and a wooden stake is enough to fight a Vampire, and no one thinks ‘behead them’ at all. That’s attributed to zombies.”

“Which, interestingly enough,  _those_  are the bastards you have to stake,” Yang said with a chuckle, glancing at the passenger seat. “I’m impressed, Rubes. That theory sounds pretty solid to me.” She paused, seeming to fight with herself for a moment before continuing. “Do we really seem like animals to you angels?”

Crap.

“It’s not an accurate comparison, I’d say,” Weiss replied, her voice a touch pensive. “But I spent so long watching wars and massacres, some of which perpetrated in God’s name. I liked to convince myself it was demons at work but sometimes… not even I could explain the cruelty of mortals.”

“Like I said.” Yang shook her head. “People are crazy.”

* * *

Yang pushed through the door of the bar, holding it open long enough for Ruby and Weiss to file in behind her. Immediately, she noticed how every set of eyes in the room snapped to them, tension rising quicker than a river during a flood.

“Sorry,” she said, offering her characteristic smirk. “We’re not the strippers you ordered. Didn’t mean to disappoint.”

“Very funny.” The bartender groused, still far too tense. “What can I get you stranger?”

“Not thirsty, but you might have what I’m looking for anyway.” She pulled out a twenty lien card, sauntering over to the bar and tapping the card against the wood. “Some people just passed through. Rough customers, troublemakers, probably were way too loud- ring any bells?”

He regarded her for a moment, the flash of disgust that washed over his expression far too telling. Then he took the lien from her and nodded. “Yeah. They were here last night.” His lips curled into a sour frown. “Friends of yours?”

“Hardly,” she replied, the jovial lilt of her voice and expression dying instantly. “I own a night club a few towns over. Those bastards trashed my place while I was handling some business elsewhere. Since I’m shut down for repairs, I thought I might… negotiate their payment plan for my reimbursement.”

“Oh yeah? If you can get double for me, I’d appreciate it.” He jerked his head towards the corner of the room, where a few broken tables and chairs were stacked up on a shattered pool table. “They also broke two of my bouncers’ arms when we tried throwing them out. I don’t know who fed those assholes their wheaties but I’d like to give that person a punch in the face.”

“I hear ya.” She shook her head. “Can’t have anything nice nowadays without some jackass coming around to fuck everything up.” Yang scratched at her jaw, glancing behind her and noting that Weiss had disappeared against while Ruby seemed to be only half paying attention, silver eyes discreetly glued off to the side. She didn’t seem tense, though, so that could only be a good sign. “Any idea which way they went?”

“Nah, they didn’t arrive in a car.” The bartender threw his arms out wide. “They just showed up, walked in off the street, and went off into the night once they were done making my life hell.”

Yang’s brows furrowed. While the open field across the street wouldn’t make getting to or from the place difficult, there remained the issue of where the nest had to be for them to not bother with any form of transport. If their net was being cast a hundred miles out, that seemed like much too far for them to have the nest this close.

“How many showed up here? I had, uh, I think it was five-”

“Yeah, five guys and two gals, six of ‘em with bad attitudes.” His brow furrowed, pressing his lips together for a moment. “I’m not sure about the gals- or one of ‘em, anyway. She didn’t look like she wanted anything to do with the others but didn’t have much choice. When you go… collect your dues, try to give her a head start runnin’. I wouldn’t be surprised if those assholes had plucked her off the street; ‘s how Billy got his arm broke, trying to get between ‘em and her.” He reached under the bar and produced a small stack of lien, at least half a grand’s worth. “And she slipped this to Nancy before they left. Not enough, but a sight better than what I coulda had.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. I mean, people make mistakes.” Dissent in the ranks it sounded like; they could probably use that to their advantage. “Oh, uh, one more thing.” She leaned against the bar, cocking her head to the side. “Did they bring in anything with ‘em?”

“Yeah, wine bottles.” He shrugged. “Had to be alcohol; they just got worse the more they drank, the louts.” Putting his hands up, the man shook his head. “Honestly, I only let ‘em bring it in because I thought it would keep ‘em from causing a scene. Hindsight is twenty, twenty, I guess.”

“I hear ya on that.” Another glance behind her confirmed that Weiss had returned which provided enough of a cue. “If I manage to find the bastards, I’ll be sure to… pass along your displeasure with them.”

“Thanks.”

Turning around, Yang lead the way back out of the bar, taking the steps quickly and turning to follow the sidewalk rather than heading straight towards Bumblebee.

“We have a shadow,” Weiss said, more than juiced up enough to essentially be their unseen guardian. “She was watching you particularly closely the entire time.”

“Is she flinching?”

“No.”

“Then probably not a vampire,” Ruby said as they turned the corner, ducking down the narrow alley between the bar and the general store beside it. “But-”

“But, she could be one of the older ones.” Yang frowned, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a silver knife already drenched in dead man’s blood. It wasn’t exactly ‘fresh’ but she figured that would be better rather than worse. “Ruby, keep going around back. Weiss, stay with her, and if you can give me a little cloaking, I’d appreciate it.”

They took the next turn to head behind the bar and she immediately stopped and pressed against the wall. In broad daylight, they had about equal footing, because if their shadow  _was_  a vampire, she wouldn’t be at full strength with the sun overhead. All Yang had to do was make sure no one saw them, which Weiss  _should_  be able to help with, but that was banking on a little bit much in her opinion. They had converted a whole damn gallon to holy water to ensure the angel had enough juice.

The scuff of boots hurrying toward the corner made her tense and, at the first sight of the person coming around, she sprang into action, grabbing onto a thin wrist and yanking, using her heavier weight to force their shadow against the wall, the knife held against her throat.

“Wait, wait wait wait, please!” Wide amber eyes held far too much fear for any immortal faced with a woman and a knife but Yang didn’t let up, expression pinched into a severe scowl.

“Why are you following us?”

“I’m sorry, please, don’t kill me-”

“ _Why_  are you following us?”

“Because I’m looking for them too!” Black feline ears twitched, laying down and to the side, a position that lent credence to the pleading in her voice, and thick raven hair cascaded over her shoulders, covering some of the threadbare parts of a jean jacket that had seen better days. “The group- they kidnapped my friend.”

Yang narrowed her eyes, absently noting that Ruby and Weiss had returned. “Lift your upper lip.”

No startled question followed and that made her suspicions rise because she could see in the Faunus’ eyes that she recognized what Yang was looking for with that request. “Please-”

“Do it.” She tilted the knife a bit closer, quite nearly biting into the Faunus’ neck.

“Okay!” Slowly, she raised a hand. “Okay, I’ll do it.” She reached up, grabbing her upper lip and lifting it, showing off perfectly healthy gums with no holes. “See? Not one o’ ‘em.”

With a nod, Yang pulled back the knife and leaned away, but her forearm firmly against the Faunus’ chest, pinning her in place. The Faunus seemed too genuinely terrified to be a hunter but she seemed to know enough about vampires to understand what she was looking for with that request. Something about the whole situation made her stomach turn. “What’s your name?”

“Blake. Blake Belladonna.”

“Okay, Blake.” She released the pressure entirely and put the knife back inside her jacket. “Go home. Now.”

“I can’t-”

“That really wasn’t a request.”

“Those monsters kidnapped my best friend!” Blake pressed her lips into a thin line, obviously becoming angrier now that she wasn’t scared out of her wits with a knife against her throat. “I’m not just leaving!”

“Monsters?” Ruby chimed in, stepping up and crossing her arms over her chest. “What- what makes you call them that? I mean, they’re awful people, but monsters?”

“‘Awful people’ won’t leave tips and give unsolicited advice that turns out to be wrong.” She lifted an arm, sweeping it wide out to indicate an unspecified direction. “ _Awful_  people don’t rip a cow apart with their bare hands and- and-”

“You saw them feed,” Yang said, muttering a curse under her breath and passing a hand over her face. “Shit.”

“Then- then you know.” Blake’s shoulders fell, a bit of fear creeping back into her voice. “You  _know_  those monsters are…”

Ruby stepped up, laying a comforting hand on the Faunus’ shoulder. “They’re vampires, Blake.”

“Oh God…” She put a hand to her head, running her fingers through her hair. “Ilia… no…”

Yang felt for her, she did. It had to be awful knowing someone you cared about wasn’t killed but rather turned into an absolute monster. But no amount of sympathy would undo that curse and, now that they had confirmation, they had a lot of work to do to find the nest.

“Look, Blake. I’m sorry about your friend.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But there’s nothing you can do. Just go home.”

“You don’t understand.” Blake shook her head. “I- I don’t have anywhere to go back to; it’s only been Ilia and I since…” She bit her lip and looked away, tears gathering in amber eyes. “I can’t just  _leave_  her.”

“There’s nothing more you can do,” Ruby said, looking to her sister for some idea how to comfort the Faunus. 

Honestly, Yang didn’t do this part. Maybe it was her Dad’s policy rubbing off on her but he always warned against getting too much into the personal lives of those affected by the things they hunted. It always proved to be messy and they really couldn’t afford to let pity overcome their senses; the things they hunted were evil, pure and simple. Things didn’t get complicated that way.

Much to her surprise, it was Weiss who stepped forward, though she didn’t initiate contact the way Ruby had. Instead, she spoke softly. “I understand what it’s like, the fear of facing the world alone. But you need to trust us. There’s truly nothing more you can do.”

Amber eyes flitted between the three of them before tears began to fall, head hanging forward as she listlessly nodded. “Okay.”

Shoving her hands in her pockets, the Faunus turned away, heading back towards the parking lot. Yang felt bad for her- really, she did- but Blake would only get herself hurt trying to track down the vampires. It was a wonder she hadn’t been found out already, if she’d been close enough to watch them feed.

“So… this isn’t good, is it?” Ruby sighed, running a hand through her hair. “This does kinda confirm the theory that all the people who’ve been abducted recently are being turned.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Yang watched as the Faunus disappeared past the cars before coming back around the corner; better to talk away from prying eyes before they got to the hard part. “Did you find anything out while we were in there, Weiss?”

“Nothing too useful, unfortunately.” The angel shrugged. “I found a bottle or two, definitely filled with blood and not wine, but given the level of destruction, I doubt anyone will notice before throwing it all out. I didn’t find anything identifiable, though- no helpful map with directions to the nest.”

“Bummer.” Well, they couldn’t have gone  _too_  far; given the established timeline, any newly turned vamps wouldn’t be trusted on their own for another month at least, so they likely hadn’t been brought out with the others last night. Small miracle meant they should only be fighting a handful rather than dozens. “Then we start with large abandoned structures in the area and whittle it down from there.” She turned, motioning for them to follow her back to Bumblebee. “I’m willing to bet last night was a celebration. Whatever these bastards are doing, last night was some sort of milestone.”

Before they’d hit the parking lot, Ruby had her scroll flicked open, a sigh escaping her lips. “I think you’re right. No one reported missing last night.”

“Which means either someone’s not filing their paperwork or those bastards from last night are taking a break. Either way, bad news.” They all got into the Camero and she started it up, trying to run through what else they could use to narrow down the criteria. “Try looking for barns or… I dunno… grain silos?”

“Not to put too fine a point on it, but we’re in the breadbasket of Vale; I’m quite certain there’s more of those than people in some areas,” Weiss said, tapping a finger against Ruby’s seat. “Perhaps if I went and checked-”

“How far can you go before you wear yourself out?” She watched in the rearview as the angel looked away, chagrined by the reminder that she didn’t have near the strength she used to, even with a surplus of energy. “Let’s see if we can find a few good places to start and go from there. Okay?”

Throwing the gear into reverse, Yang pulled out of the spot and shifted to drive, brows furrowing as she glanced at the side mirror. There, she could see Blake, watching them leave.

Some people just didn’t know when to quit.

* * *

Ruby ran a hand through her hair, putting her scroll down. Hours of searching physical maps and property listings and they had three dozen  _possible_  locations while the sun neared the horizon, orange streaking across the sky. Best case scenario, tonight the vampires would rest; worst case, they would unleash almost two dozen brand new vampires, all of which would be hungrier and thirsty than a starving man walking through a desert. 

Absently, she became aware of a presence by her elbow. “Hey, Weiss. Find anything?”

“No,” the angel replied, plopping down in the seat beside her and slumping against the table. Although Yang had made the point earlier, they were forced to do things the old fashioned way to some extent, sending Weiss out to check the locations they’d identified. “But I only got through the first half.”

Sliding over a bottle of holy water Yang had just finished blessing, the young woman ran a hand over her face. “This is hopeless.”

“No, we just need to think. There’s something we’re missing,” her sister said, tossing her own scroll down and standing up, cracking her back. “Let’s take a step back and-” The light  _thud_  of wood hitting wood brought her gaze towards the door, brows furrowing as a curse left Yang’s lips. “Fuck, Ruby, why’d you bring this thing inside?”

“I… didn’t?” She looked over at Weiss, who seemed equally perplexed in the brief break she took to stop chugging the holy water, assess the bow, and return to her previous task. “I left it outside.”

“I  _knew_  it, it  _is_  cursed!” The blonde walked over to where the bow had leaned up against the wall beside the door, bending down to scoop it up. “Damnit, I- wait.” 

Her eyes narrowed, glancing back at Ruby before reaching inside her jacket and drawing her shotgun, leaving the bow alone to put a handle on the doorknob. With a nod, she drew her own pistol, lightly pushing at Weiss’ shoulder to alert her to the potential danger lurking just outside the door.

With all of them ready, Yang quickly threw open the door and shoved the barrel of her shotgun into the face of whoever was unlucky enough to try testing them. For a moment, Ruby worried one of the vampires had braved the pre-dusk hours to come for them, but that concern was swept away as her sister’s shoulders slumped, the weapon falling down to her side as she passed a hand over her face.

“Get inside,” she said, sounding thoroughly annoyed. “ _Now_.”

A moment later, a familiar figure ducked into the motel room, ears drooping slightly.

“Oh… hi, Blake.” Ruby glanced around the room, convinced they probably didn’t look any crazier or more dangerous now than when Yang had a knife pressed against the Faunus’ throat. “Uh… have a seat, I guess.”

“Thanks, Ruby,” she replied, glancing at the shotgun being tucked back into the blonde’s jacket and the table before easing herself down onto the bed.

Almost immediately, Yang frowned. “How do you know her name?”

“By digging deep enough.” The Faunus pulled out her own scroll and waved it. “Searching through almost a hundred aliases took the better part of the day, but every trail leads somewhere.”

Ruby raised a brow, looking over at her sister, who seemed even more annoyed now than before. “Well, I mean, it’s not really hard figuring out  _my_  name. I was a registered student at a major university less than a month ago-”

“Yeah, Beacon University, where you were studying Criminal Justice at your sister’s insistence until a spontaneous fire erupted in your apartment and killed your girlfriend,” Blake said, her ears laying back now out of frustration rather than intimidation. “Said sister being Yang Xiao Long, currently wanted in every kingdom on a slew of charges under various pseudonyms. Both of you were born on Patch and your father’s Taiyang Xiao Long, who  _also_  has a significant amount of warrants for his arrest- should I keep going?” Amber eyes flashed with a bit of pride and defiance. “I know what I’m doing, okay? If I want to find you, I will, and it seems to me you need  _my_  help if you’re going to find the people who took Ilia.”

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.” Weiss turned around, leaning over the back of her chair to look at the Faunus. “You think you can track down these vampires?”

“I can at least try…” Blake tilted her head to the side slightly, eyes narrowing. “Have we met before?”

“You know, I’d almost forgotten about that, Angel,” Yang said, chuckling slightly. “Her name’s Weiss. Go on, say hi to her.”

Confused, the Faunus complied. “Uh, hello, Weiss?”

“Hello, Blake, and Yang, you’re a terrible person.” The angel grumbled, turning back around to grab the bottle of holy water.

“See that’s just so very wrong of you to say. Blake, look at me.” Her sister made a motion towards the scroll in her hand. “You really think you can help us track down these vampires?”

“I’m certain.” She nodded, resolute. “I just need to know what to look for.”

“Well, a paper trail ain’t it-”

“You stopped by a strip club two months ago in West Pines.” The Faunus raised a brow at the light blush now dusting Yang’s cheeks. “I don’t track  _just_  paper.”

“Alright, fine, you can help us figure out where the bastards are.” She motioned towards the table. “But, real quick, if you know Ruby and me, who’s that over there?”

“Who’s- oh.” When amber eyes turned towards the table, Blake appeared surprised. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you over there. Have we met before?”

“You’re an ass, Yang.” Weiss grumbled, lowering her head until her forehead lightly thudded against the table. “An absolute. Ass.”

Her sister just laughed, leaving Ruby to roll her eyes and go over to Blake; the sun was almost on the horizon, and their chances of getting the drop on the vampires dwindled.

Before she had a chance to get down to the details, though, her sister sauntered over to the side of the bed and clapped a hand on her shoulder, speaking softly. “By the way, when we’re done with all this, you and I are going to have a serious talk about cursed objects and why you should  _never touch one_.”

She would  _not_  be hearing the end of this any time soon.

* * *

Weiss watched as the last bit of sunlight faded from the sky, tucking another flask of holy water in her bolero and smoothing out her skirt. Much to their surprise, Blake had come through and identified a ramshackle barn out in the middle of nowhere, about ten miles from the bar and them. A short burst over there had given her enough of an impression to confirm that, yes indeed, the group of vampires they were looking for were holed up within, and that meant they had quite the task ahead of them. The heavy weight of a machete in her left hand confirmed as much.

“So you’re just going to- going to  _walk_  in there and start  _beheading_  them? Just like that?” Blake sat on the bed, looking between the sisters with clear horror splayed across her expression. “They’re people-”

“They’re  _vampires_ , and I get it that you probably buy all that new age crap, but lemme tell ya, they aren’t the sort you’re dying to invite into your bedroom, all sparkles and roses and immortal love.” Yang stopped packing her bag long enough to walk over to the bed, setting a hand on the Faunus’ shoulder. “Look, in all your digging, you probably figured out that what we- well,  _I_ , really, do borders on the realm of good, common sense. That’s because what I do is track down all the terrible things you’ve been told all your life aren’t real, and then I kill them, because they  _are_  terrible things.”

“Yang’s right.” Ruby swung her own machete a few times, alternating hands- ambidextrous, a useful skill for anyone in such a line of work. “Vampires are compelled by a hunger they can’t control. They will never pass up a meal and, to them, mortals- humans, Faunus- are the tastiest prey out there.”

“You’re wrong-”

“Blake,” she said, sighing heavily. “You have to accept this as fact. Your friend died the moment those monsters laid hands on her. You can’t save her now.” As the words left her mouth, she could see the splash of confusion, and her own vexation prompted her to cut off the argument before it began. “Yes, we’ve met before, you’ve asked me that twenty-six times since you stepped into the room, no, you won’t remember having done so in about five minutes or the next time you look away from me, yes, I’m sure, and no, it’s not going to stop. Please, realize that you’re out of your depth and you just need to trust us.”

“Getting a little pissy, aren’t ya, Angel?” Yang smirked and she quite nearly felt the inclination to snap back with something cutting but opted not to, knowing full well it would just escalate into another argument. She couldn’t be sure  _why_  she felt compelled to start arguments with the blonde, why gaining an edge in them made her feel victorious, but she could see the way it wore down Ruby to constantly be breaking them up. She just wished the elder sister could be a little less blind to it. “But she’s right, ya know. We  _are_  trying to help you, protect you, but we can’t work miracles. Ilia’s gone.”

“I refuse to believe that,” Blake replied.

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that, so, in advance, I’m sorry for this.” With motions almost too quick for the naked eye to catch, Yang reached for her belt and then lashed out, the metallic clink of handcuffs echoing in the room as one half encircled the Faunus’ wrist and the other clanked around the bed’s post. “But we really can’t have you running around playing a bit too literal a version of Devil’s Advocate.”

“The fuck-”

“This really is for the best.” Ruby gathered up the bags, conducting another sweep to ensure they weren’t leaving anything behind. “Room service will be by in the morning, so you won’t be left here too long. And we’ll call to make sure someone checks the room.”

“And, ya know, we’re not  _completely_  heartless.” Yang grabbed the remote for the television, clicking it on and surfing through the channels. “We’ll even leave you with some appropriate entertainment.” Landing on one that apparently had the express intention of depicting women in lewd situations, she tossed the remote to the other bed after turning the volume up an indecent degree. “There ya go, lots of nice, yelling ladies. Good luck being heard over that!”

“You can’t be fucking serious.” Feline ears laid back as she pulled against the cuffs, scowling at the sisters. “You’re not just going to leave me here like this!”

“Hey, you’ve got a hand free; spend your time wisely.” Yang grabbed her bag and hefted it onto her shoulder. “Take your mind off your troubles. And, uh, if you’re lucky, you’ll never see us again.” Lilac eyes bounced over to Weiss and she could practically  _hear_  the thought process behind her next words, another jibe at the angel’s inability to be perceived for long periods of time. Surprisingly, the words never came as the blonde instead turned towards the door. “C’mon. Let’s go clear the nest.”

Yang and Ruby left the room, closing the door behind them. Weiss could easily pop into the back seat and all she had to concern herself with was the bottle of holy water and the machete. So she waited until the sisters had started towards the car before approaching, laying a hand lightly on the Faunus’ shoulder and doing her best to ignore the sounds coming from the television.

“I understand this is hard for you but we are, genuinely, doing what’s best,” she said, hoping she could impart a little peace before they left to do the deed.

Amber eyes shining with tears looked up at her. “You’re telling me that giving up on my best friend is ‘what’s best’? Who even says that?” Blake’s eyes narrowed in anger. “What kind of angel are you?”

“The kind that has made mistakes before… and vowed not to let it happen again.” Weiss sighed, shaking her head. “If nothing else, take comfort that you saved many other lives today. I’m sure your friend can be proud of that.”

As she stepped away, preparing to join the others in Bumblebee, she heard the Faunus’ mumbled words. “It was supposed to be us against the world. We never thought we’d get in over our heads… why does she have to be the one to pay for that?”

Biting her tongue, the angel left and joined the sisters in the car, glancing back to the motel room one last time.

There existed the downside to being remembered, to having memories of others- the inevitable loss. Death came for all, save angels and demons, and even mortals had the opportunity to haunt, either in a figurative or literal sense. How tragic an existence, she mused, to make friends, to forge connections, only to lose them no matter how hard you fight to preserve them.

“Hey, you okay back there?” Yang glanced at her in the rearview while pulling out of the spot. “Got your head in the game?”

“Of course,” she replied, the irony occurring to her in that moment.

How tragic an existence indeed.

* * *

Ruby scrolled along the map she’d saved to her scroll, looking up quickly and back down again. “Pull off here.”

“Good spot?”

“If we don’t want to tip them off.” She nodded towards the bend in the road. “A mile that way is the nest. Any closer, they’ll hear us coming.”

“If they haven’t already,” Weiss said, tsking immediately after. “You’d think you’d pick a less conspicuous vehicle, given your line of work.”

“Look, I don’t get many bright spots on a given day, let me have my dream car,” Yang replied, a bit of a smile on her lips as she pulled onto the shoulder. “C’mon. We’ve still got a way to hoof it and only a sliver of a chance that those vamps haven’t high tailed it to an all-you-can-eat buffet.”

They got out, heading to the trunk to grab the machetes and a crossbow, the bolts already well and truly coated in dead man’s blood. Arguably, one of the least savory things Ruby had done thus far, but an ultimate necessity. Plus a silver knife or two each- they would be fighting their way through a nest, so taking as many weapons as they could feasibly carry wasn’t exactly a bad idea.

But then Weiss’ head snapped up, peering down the road. “Someone’s coming.”

“Someone?” Yang peeked around the open trunk, a frown coming to her lips. “I think you underestimated that one  _just_  a tad.”

“How many?” Not waiting for an answer, Ruby inched her way around the other side and grimaced. It looked like the group that visited the bar, minus one of the women, and the whole lot looked in high spirits. Not a good sign.

“We can take ‘em,” her sister said, reaching up to close the trunk and slipping the machete under her jacket. “Let’s see if we can get the drop on ‘em. Don’t let them see your weapon until my signal.”

“Good evening, Ladies.” One of the men, with shaggy grey hair and a cocky smirk, called out to them, spreading his hands wide. “Car trouble?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Yang walked around the driver’s side, motioning towards Bumblebee. “Engine just died out on us. I don’t suppose any of you are mechanics?”

“Oh, we’ve got a lot of nifty skills.” He looked back at his compatriots and chuckled. “Name’s Mercury, by the way. Might as well get the formalities out of the way, right?”

“Well, Mercury, I’m-”

“Yang Xiao Long,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Oh, I know who you are. You look just like your Dad, what with the blonde hair and the cocky smile and the jacket.” Mercury shook his head. “He, uh, did a bang up job destroying the nest of the asshole who turned me. Always meant to thank him for that, because if he  _hadn’t_ , well, I wouldn’t be here, now would I?” He took a few steps closer, the other vampires beginning to spread out, making a half circle around him. Cutting off all avenues of escape, or trying to anyway. “I’d still be waiting in the shadows for a cow to drop dead, or picking off some homeless guy once every year as a special meal, but now I’m big time! Got myself a nest of my own. And an army just waiting for  _my_  word.”

“An army?” Yang chuckled, scrubbing at her nose for a moment before pulling her machete free, as much of a signal as Ruby needed to slip a bolt into the crossbow and take aim. “And here I was hoping we could be subtle about this.”

“There’s nothing subtle about extinction,” Mercury replied, expression twisting into rage. “And it’s high time we take our rightful place at the top of the food chain. Bon appétit, bitch.”

With that, two of the vampires rushed forward while Ruby pulled the trigger, sending the poisoned bolt sailing through the air until it embedded deep within Mercury’s leg, just above the knee. He immediately dropped down, unable to join his compatriots as they took swings at Yang, who ducked and dodged while swinging her machete, able to slice across arms and chests but not quite hitting the neck. Still, the dead man’s blood coating the cutting edge of her blade did enough to make them stagger back, weakened. Another tried rushing towards Weiss, who effortlessly sidestepped the lunge and managed to land a hit along his backside as he passed. However, when he swung around and threw a punch, she somehow  _didn’t_  get out of the way quick enough, staggered slightly by the solid cross that landed on her jaw.

“Oh,  _of course_  it doesn’t work on you.” Weiss sounded equal parts annoyed and dryly amused as she regained her footing. “Just my luck.”

“Wait, what?” Ruby shuffled a few steps back while reloading the crossbow, taking careful aim and sending the next bolt flying into the forehead of the vampire closest to her. It still wouldn’t be the same as beheading the bastard but would buy her some much needed time; she didn’t quite have the upper body strength of her sister, so she’d probably need a swing or two to make it all the way through the neck. “You can’t pop in and out around these guys?”

“Apparently not,” the angel replied, being more careful this time and managing to nick the vampire’s throat, enough to make him clutch the wound and back up a few steps.

Yang, meanwhile, had already beheaded one of the vampires trying to bite her, and drove the point of her machete into the second’s throat, all the way through, and used that leverage to knock him off his feet. With a boot on his chest, she puled the blade free of flesh and then sliced, cutting his head off completely. “Well damn, Weiss, maybe you’re losing your mojo and becoming straight up mortal.”

“There are so  _very_  many things wrong with that statement.” With another bolt sent flying and embedding in the vampire’s shoulder, Weiss had both the opportunity and the advantage, taking care of him while Ruby turned her attention to the one she’d wounded earlier, two hacks making quick work of him. “There, that’s, what, four down, twenty to go?”

Ruby looked up, expecting some sort of gloating remark from Mercury and surprised when it didn’t come- doubly so when neither he nor the woman were anywhere around.

“Well, shit.” Her sister sighed, wiping off the blood on her jacket sleeve. “Guess he got away.”

“He couldn’t have gotten far.” She looked around, then up the road. “But the nest should be our priority.”

“Right.” Yang nodded. “Come on. We’ll get there quicker on foot.”

“How do you figure that one?” Weiss flicked her own machete, dislodging some but not all of the blood.

“Simple- we can follow the trail.” She motioned towards the blood leading back up the road. “Mercury was on and on about the nest he built; he went straight back there. Vampires are a proud batch of bastards.”

“Then, we’re walking into a trap.”

“Yep.” Yang popped the ‘p’ hard enough to convey just how very unimpressed she was with what lay ahead of them. Ruby loaded up another bolt and checked to be sure the machete still hung from her belt, looking over at her sister. “Ready when you are.”

“Well, at least the amount of surprises should be pretty low.” The angel started down the road. “I’m ready.”

“Good.” She nodded. “Let’s go.”

* * *

They stood before the rundown barn, enough lights on inside to prove it wasn’t entirely abandoned. In case someone couldn’t hear the commotion going on inside, anyway. Voices-  _so_  many voices- combined in whines and howls and pleas, some of which didn’t even sound human. The symphony of newly turned vampires fighting to acclimate to their new status, sensitive to the lights, driven mad by the sound of hearts beating, an unquenchable thirst just beginning to take root.

Yang shook her head. “This is gonna suck.”

Ruby couldn’t help but snort, trying not to laugh.

Weiss, however, seemed far less amused. “Was that a  _pun_?”

“Oh, don’t act so surprised.” She shrugged. “You gotta have a sense of humor with gigs like this.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Well, they already know we’re coming. I say we walk in the front door and-”

“No!” She winced at how abruptly the objection left her lips but tried playing it off as best she could when her sister and the angel looked at her. “I mean… we don’t have to make it  _easy_  for them, right? Why not just go in the back?”

“Assuming there  _is_  a back, you mean?” Weiss rolled her eyes, then scanned over the barn. “You honestly think the element of surprise is even possible at this point?”

She shrugged. “It’s worth a shot, right?”

Biting her lip, she hoped beyond hope that it would be enough to win the fight. Thankfully, Yang seemed to see the sense in her plan, nodding.

“Yeah, there’s gotta be somewhere we can sneak in… but first, we’ll need a bit of a distraction.”

Weiss gave her a flat look. “… why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do you even  _have_  blood?”

“I’d rather not find out, if we’re being perfectly frank!”

“We don’t need a distraction!” Ruby nodded towards the barn. “Mercury’s wounded and he’s pissed, we just killed over half his entourage, and all he’s left with are loud, upset, hungry newborn vampires just dying to bite  _anything_ , and that includes him. How about we just play this one by ear a little bit and see if he trips and falls on his own sword?”

“That’s banking on a lot of hope, Rubes.” Her sister raised a brow. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah…” She shrugged. “I got a feeling, is all. We can do this without putting Weiss at risk.”

“I’m already in favor of this plan.”

“She means ‘no more risk than either of us’ because we’re  _still_  walking into a nest in the dead of night.” Yang shook her head and sighed. “Alright, Sis, we’ll try it your way. But stay close and watch each other’s backs. Newborn vamps are strong and crazy from overstimulation; they  _really_  don’t like loud noises or brightness. You both grabbed flashlights, right?” They both produced theirs, Ruby slinging the crossbow since she wouldn’t have a free hand going forward. “Alright. Let’s sneak around.”

The three began picking their way around back, trying not to disturb the rusted farm equipment abandoned along with the barn.

She just hoped she was right.

* * *

Yang pressed up against the wooden wall, taking a firm grip on the rusted handle of a dilapidated back door and easing it open as quietly as possible. The racket within had calmed some and she could hear Mercury shouting at the others- he’d probably used his own blood to placate some of them, nevermind the dead man’s blood poisoning his veins. Well, better luck for them, she thought, if he insisted on doing half the work for them; weakened vamps were a good deal better to deal with than ‘healthy’ ones.

Looking back to Ruby and Weiss, she held up three fingers, hoping they would understand that the element of surprise probably wouldn’t be there’s for long. They’d have to move quick.

On a silent count of three, she pulled the door open and rushed in, machete raised and ready, but dropped down behind a stack of crates almost immediately, followed by the others. From a quick glance, no one had noticed their presence, so best to position themselves as best they could before the real bloodbath began.

“Are you ready? To feast on the live blood of those beneath us? To no longer be relegated to the shadows?”  _God,_  this dud was on a power trip and she had to fight not to call out how ridiculous he sounded. She probably should’ve known by how he slicked his hair to the side that he had a flair for the dramatic. “Tonight begins of our war of attrition!”

This dude just  _loved_  the sound of his own voice, didn’t he?

Looking to her sides, Yang nodded at Ruby and Weiss as they prepared to pop up and over the crates. With any luck, the newborns were still tied up or otherwise restrained- too dangerous to let them run amok- and they would only have to deal with Mercury and the other full fledged vamp.

“But first, I bring you a gift! Dinner time!”

Before they could make their move, the vampire they’d left unaccounted for reached over the crates and plunged a knife into her shoulder, pulled a curse from her lips as she yelled out. Ruby and Weiss reacted almost immediately, swinging opposite ways so their machetes clanged when they met in the middle and the vampire’s head all but fell into Yang’s lap, drenching her in putrid blood. Thankfully- if an upside  _could_  be found- none of it landed on her shoulder, as she instinctively reached up and pulled the knife out, fresh blood beginning to soak through her shirt.

But it didn’t seem like Mercury was too concerned about losing yet another of his ilk, busying himself with something on the other side of the barn.

“Okay, plan B,  _I’m_  the distraction,” she said, getting to her feet and dropping the flashlight, her right arm all but useless thanks to the knife wound. At a glance, she could tell this whole fight would be against the clock, iron wrought cages keeping little groups of newly turned vampires separated, maybe three or four a pop, and  _a lot_  of people hadn’t been doing their paperwork, since at least six were filled with four or five each. “You two, focus on Mercury. Keep as many in their cages as possible.”

She probably wouldn’t get a shot at the bastard considering he’d already unlocked one door, throwing it wide open. On the one hand, she was probably lucky- the cage only contained three vampires- but on the other hand, they were coordinated, not howling and chomping at the bit like the others now that fresh blood hung in the air. They were probably a few weeks into their transformation, able to control some instincts but still hyped up on their own life blood and  _dying_  for the chance to test their new limits.

“Well… fuck,” she said, tightening the grip on her machete and widening her stance. “I am  _not_  a fucking buffet.”

“Oh.” Mercury laughed, shaking his head. “Yes, you are.”

From where she stood, she could see the gleaming fangs lining the mouths of the new vamps, how their eyes focused on her alone and allowed Ruby and Weiss to move around to flank them. Three on one didn’t sound like odds she’d like on a good day, much less with an injured arm, but Yang steeled her nerves and made a ‘come hither’ motion with right.

The first one charged, blinded by his hunger, which made it easy for Weiss to merely catch him around his neck with the machetes, no swinging required. The other two were more cautious first jumping up before advancing, practically running on the tops of the cages to get around Ruby and Weiss.

Well, two on one was better than three, and she wasn’t out of the fight just yet. She jumped back as they landed in front of her- a guy and a gal, the former built like a brick shithouse and the latter more slender, which meant she had little chance of relying on speed or strength to carry her through.

“Come on, now,” she said, trying to buy herself a little time as Ruby and Weiss tried to deal with Mercury. “This really isn’t something to lose your head over, is it?”

Apparently, vampires didn’t possess senses of humor, the one rushing at her while the other hung back and bided her time. Meanwhile, Weiss got thrown back by Mercury, who seemed to be holding his own despite the dead man’s blood, blocking Ruby’s attempted to behead him with a knife of his own. Probably would be a comically mismatched fight if it weren’t for his supernatural strength, but she didn’t have the luxury of worrying after Ruby as the vampires continued coming after her.

The guy tried punching her, tried grabbing her, even tried sweeping her legs from beneath her, and she just barely managed to survive each and every attack, dancing just out of his range. Then, an opportunity opened up, and she swung the machete, cleaving almost all the way through on the first go even with her off hand. The second strike finished the work of the first… but at the price of leaving herself wide open on the left, an opportunity the last of the newborns released didn’t waste in exploiting.

As Yang was taken to the ground, a pained cry leaving her lips, she could hear a similar shout from Ruby and then Weiss, as well as the clang and clatter of another cage door bursting open. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in much of a position to react, too busy throwing her left arm up and across the throat of the vampire now poised over her, gleaming fangs inches from biting into her face. Grey eyes tinted orange as her skin began to turn red, splotches of yellow breaking up the color- once a Faunus of some sort, had to be, not that she was in much of a position to ask or care. Now, the vampire had one intention, and that was turning her into a snack.

She reached blindly with her right hand, trying to grab the handle of her machete, wherever it had dropped, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out where it’d gone and so much as turning her head away seemed to be a mistake in the making, every little shift meaning the difference between life and death. She tried kicking back with her feet, creating some much needed distance, but the vampires followed her, stayed atop, just inches from those fangs finding purchase in her flesh.

“Ilia!” A voice pierced the din, and the vampire immediately snapped her head up to look towards the front of the barn. There stood Blake, with no weapon and no means of defending herself, just calling attention to herself. “Ilia, stop!”

“Oh, look.” Mercury’s voice sounded winded, a cough thoroughly ruining his smugness. “Dessert just showed up.”

And if she hadn’t been front row to the show, she wouldn’t have believed it. The vampire’s entire demeanor shifted, the red and yellow fading as her eyes reverted to grey for a split second before it all came roaring back with a vengeance. She threw herself off Yang, started sprinting away, and the blonde knew she didn’t have much time. Twisting around, she found her machete and leapt to her feet, entirely prepared to throw her only weapon if to just buy Blake a few more seconds to turn and run, but halted short of actually doing it.

Because the newborn vamp wasn’t gunning for the Faunus. No, she was making a beeline for  _Mercury_ , plowing into him with all the force of a mac truck given how he ragdolled into the side of the barn.

“Yang!” Ruby called out, kicking a vampire in the face as she scrambled backwards, trying to get back to her feet. Fresh blood ran from her temple, making her a prime target, and Weiss was doing everything in her power to help, becoming more clinical with her strikes. However, they were outnumbered, and she had a choice to make. “Get Mercury!”

Well, that made things easier.

As Weiss helped Ruby to her feet, Yang jumped over a crate and booked it towards the lead vampire, who seemed to have his hands full trying to fend off his own creation. Ilia- had to be her- was matching him step for step, and her uncoordinated movements leveled the field against the dead man’s blood still working through him. 

Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out another bottle of the stuff, popping the top and pouring it over her machete in time to take a swing at his back. The blade bit in deep, from shoulder to hip, and it slowed him down enough that Ilia could wrap him up and take him to the ground while he cried out in agony.

Yang raised the machete up, bringing it down with all the force she could muster just as Ilia darted out of the way. And with that, the machete bit into Mercury’s neck, cleanly severing his head from his shoulders and burying deep into the wooden floorboards.

Across the room, the commotion suddenly halted, the other newborns jarred by the loss of the one who created them. In the lull, Ruby and Weiss managed to knock the three still alive on their asses, machetes raised and ready to whittle that number down a little more.

“Wait!” Yang looked up at the vampire holding her hands out in a placating gesture. “Wait, don’t hurt them- please, they- they’ll stop.”

“No, they won’t,” she said, getting to her feet and yanking her own weapon from its place, preparing to face down the creature once more. “They might be dazed right now but they’ll attack again.”

“No, they won’t. Please.” Her skin and eyes had reverted to what had to be their default coloring. “Look, none of us asked for this. Give them time, they’ll come down-”

“Yeah, and then they’ll get hungry.”

“That doesn’t mean they’re going to hurt anyone!” Blake stepped between them, amber eyes flashing with indignation. “You can’t pass judgment on someone before they’ve even committed a crime.”

“This isn’t about philosophy; this is about facts,” she said, mouth drawing into a tight line. “First smell of fresh blood, first pang of hunger, and it’ll be a bloodbath-”

“You say that standing there,  _covered_  in blood, and no one seems to be nibbling on you,” the Faunus replied. “Or them.”

Quickly, she glanced back, confirming that Ruby was still bleeding, though she doubted any of the blood covering Weiss was her own; it looked blackened almost, not bright or even muted red.

“We can’t walk away from a barn full of ticking time bombs.” Yang shook her head. “It’s irresponsible.”

“We don’t  _have_  to be that.” Ilia made a gesture towards the corner, where the festering meat of a long dead cow sat alongside full jars of blood. “There are other ways to sustain ourselves. It’s like- like going vegetarian. A strict diet we adhere to, and no one has to suffer. Maybe we can even raise the cows ourselves, send the meat off to some plant and keep the blood for ourselves. We can abide by that.”

“No, you  _can’t_.”

“Yang.” Ruby called out, forcing her to look back, horror overcoming her expression as her little sister very slowly drew her machete over her arm, deliberately deep enough to draw blood. Then she knelt down in front of one of the newborns and held it out, as if daring the creature to take a bite of her. And even though he looked for all the world like he  _wanted_  to… the vampire looked back at Ilia, as if seeking permission, which wouldn’t be surprising- with Mercury dead, and the rest of the elder vampires, she probably qualified as the eldest in terms of their hierarchy. Seemed as if that inclination came with the whole blood sucking bit. “Yang, I think she’s telling the truth.”

“Ruby-”

“Put aside your preconceived notions for one moment and look around you,” Weiss said, her own eyes trailing around the barn. “They’ve been kept like animals. I’ve seen this time and again from on high-  _this_  is how vampires create more. By force,  _never_  by choice.” The angel’s gaze finally fell on Ilia. “If you’re making the choice to do no harm to others, that’s one thing. I’m… grudgingly willing to believe you. But can you guarantee that others feel the same? What happens when  _they_  choose differently?”

Her grey eyes dropped down, staring at her shoes for a moment before she looked up, and Yang recognized that look a bit too much for comfort. Grim, unwavering determination. “Then we handle our own. We didn’t choose this but there’s only one way out of it as far as I can tell. So we either play nice… or we don’t play at all. That’s about the long and short of it… isn’t it?”

“So, you’re really expecting me to buy this?” Yang looked around at all of them, a frown tugging at her lips. “That just because a vamp says ‘pretty please’ and promises to stick to the dairy, I should just accept that?”

“Well, Sis, do you have a better way to explain how we’re standing here talking, both of us drenched in blood and literally  _surrounded_  by vampires?” Ruby made a redundant motion to the others, how even those still in the cages weren’t tugging at the doors or even near them. In fact, they seemed… afraid. Afraid of the machetes, afraid of the outcome- they were just scared out of their minds.

“Goddamnit.” She scratched at her cheek and winced, reminded of the wound in her shoulder. “Your name’s Ilia, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I got two questions for you.” She rested the blunt side of the machete against her shoulder. “What were you before this happened? Before you got abducted and turned?”

"Are you expecting some philosophical answer or are you filing my tax returns?”

“Just be honest.”

“A dumb kid,” she replied with a mirthless chuckle. “A dumb kid who thought she knew how the world worked.”

“And what are you now?”

For a moment, she looked lost. “A dumb kid who has  _no idea_  how the world works… and also wants to drink blood.”

Ruby smiled, flipping the machete around in her hand. “Welp! That’s a good enough answer for me!”

“Oh no.” Weiss put a hand to her temple and sighed. “You’re actually starting to make sense. I’ve been among mortals too long.”

As much as Yang wanted to object… she  _did_  have to acknowledge that she’d been given  _exactly_  the sort of answer she was seeking. Not only were they promising not to prey on mortals but Ilia had also come up with a convenient solution for the sheer number of them and securing enough food for that many vampires. Now, she didn’t even possess the same disdain for mortals that most vampires did.

“I don’t like this.” She slowly lowered her machete and shook her head. “Not one bit…” Yang offered her hand. “But if you’re willing to make a promise, I’ll hold you to it.”

“I will too-”

“No, Blake,” Ilia said, reaching out to put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, expression pinching in contrition. “I know what you’re thinking and you can’t stay here.”

Surprised, the Faunus rounded on her. “What do you mean- I’m not abandoning you.”

“That’s not what this is.” Waving a hand, she indicated the other vampires. “But there’s no way we can afford to risk having a regular person here with us. And I’m not turning you- trust me, Blake, you don’t  _want_  this nightmare.” Ilia returned her attention to Yang and took her hand, shaking it firmly. “We can’t stay here, specifically; this place isn’t going to be able to sustain livestock. But I’ll give you the address as soon as we find a place. You’re free to drop by if you so much as suspect us of going back on our word.”

“We might also drop by every now and then just to say hi.” She glanced over at Ruby, who just smiled wide, spattered with blood and with a fresh bruise just beginning to turn purple swelling underneath her eye. “Be friendly, ya know?”

Yang had to resist rolling her eyes.

This might very well be a huge mistake… but with Mercury out of the way, maybe this lot stood a chance at becoming something akin to a legitimate part of society instead of bloodsucking bottomfeeders lurking in the shadows.

Maybe.

* * *

Blake leaned back against the wall of the barn, eyes downcast as the sisters attended to their wounds. Every now and again they’d talk to the wind or say something to a ‘Weiss’ but she hardly cared about their particular brand of crazy- even if a year ago she’d probably consider  _herself_  crazy had anyone told her what she’d be living through. Finding out vampires were real was one thing but learning that there were people out there who hunted them down with impunity… well, that’s the sort of thing that puts the word ‘fear’ into a whole new context. The breadth of their arsenal alone hinted that there were even  _more_  things that lurked in the dark, more monsters out there that she had always blown off, but they were probably real, real enough to kill her and that… well… it was a lot to take in, to say the least.

“I’m sorry,” Ilia said, coming out of the barn and leaning up beside her, crossing her arms over her chest. “That you can’t stay, I mean, I- I wish you could… but-”

“It’s for the best.” Her frown became worse. “I’ve been hearing that phrase a lot lately.”

“Yeah…” She sighed, eyes and skin turning blue, a clear sign that the decision wasn’t made lightly. That didn’t make it sting any less, though. “You know, when we left Menagerie… we never thought things would end up like this.” A sad smile. “We were ready to take on the world without even knowing what the world would do to us.”

“I’d take it back in a heartbeat.” A shaky breath left her lips as she tried not to cry. “I’d do anything to stop this-”

“You can’t turn back time.” Ilia moved, putting a hand on her shoulder and massaging it gently. “Don’t let that eat you up, Blake; sometimes… that’s just how things go. Bad things happen and you try to pick up the pieces afterwards. We just can’t put things back the way they were and we can’t do it together.” She was pulled into a hug, wrapping her arms around- more like clinging to Ilia as the tears began to fall. “I love you, Blake. You’re… the best friend a gal could ask for and I know you’ve got some great things ahead of you. I’m praying you do.”

That just made her heart clench painfully because she’d known for a while now that her best friend didn’t see her as just a friend anymore. That ‘I love you’ wasn’t just meant in a platonic way, and she’d told herself they’d talk about it once they found somewhere stable, when they weren’t just scraping by and could actually entertain normal things like dates to the movies. But putting it off had also put it out of reach, and that stung something awful.

“Are you sure you won’t turn me?” She sniffled and cleared her throat. “You won’t let me make that choice?”

“No, Blake.” Ilia hugged her tighter. “I can’t let you become this. Right now, I’m fighting the impulse to bite you and I’m scared I can’t keep up the fight much longer.” She pulled back, an absolutely heartbroken expression coming over her face. “I know I said we can control it but it’s not easy, at least not yet. Don’t ask for this nightmare. Go live a better life.”

“I don’t know how to do that.” They’d been inseparable for almost two decades, since they were both in diapers. Grown up together, faced down every challenge together, rebelled together- as long as she was with Ilia, she felt invincible.

“You’ll figure it out. You’re Blake.” She laughed as she pulled back, offering a little shrug as her hair and skin returned to normal. “You’re the one who got us out of jail in east Vacuo, and you figured out how to get free food from the local Burger Shake, and you somehow tracked me down out in the middle of nowhere… it might take some time, but you’ll figure it out.” Shuffling a little bit, she looked away. “And, maybe… I mean, you could always go home. Your folks will take you back.”

“I’m not so sure-”

“ _I_  am.” Ilia chuckled. “You’re probably the only person on Remnant that can walk into a barn of half crazed vampires thirsting for blood and somehow argue that they shouldn’t be killed  _and_  succeed.” Another shrug. “You had to get it from somewhere. They’ll forgive you, no matter what.”

“Can I come back and visit sometime?” Blake ran a hand through her hair, mindful of her ears. “I just- I don’t want this to be a… final goodbye.”

“Give us a few months. I think we’ll all be mostly under control by then. I’ll send the address to your scroll, okay?”

“Okay.” She hugged her best friend one more time before turning towards the car she’d hotwired in the parking lot. For lack of any better game plan, she supposed she’d returning it to the motel and then… pick a direction and start walking. Or… something.

Suddenly, a heavy weight landed across her shoulders, almost enough to make her legs buckle but not with enough force to make it so. “So, Blake, right? Which way you headin’?”

“I’m… not really sure… Yang, wasn’t it?” She glanced up at the blonde as they walked together, noting the younger sister had appeared on her other side. “And Ruby. Please, don’t handcuff me to something again; I think I’ve been through enough today.”

“Oh, I agree, been put through damn near hell, which is why I extend the following offer in all seriousness.” She was brought to a halt rather effortlessly by the woman, a smile curving her lips. “Why don’t you roll with us?”

“Really?” Ruby seemed surprised by the words but didn’t appear to outright object, despite her sister taking it as such.

“Hey, you got to pick up your stray, I’m pickin’ up mine. Plus,  _she’s_  really useful.” Yang started ticking off on her fingers. “She got out of the handcuffs, hotwired a car, tracked down a vampire nest, and had both a knife against her throat  _and_  a gun pointed at her head, and was  _still_  crazy enough to come out here.” She shrugged. “That speaks to a level of dedication that fits in pretty well with this line of work.”

But Blake could read between the lines. “And I’m an insurance policy to make sure Ilia stays in line; you’ve got me, you’ve got her cooperation.”

“See? Crazy  _and_  smart.” She laughed. “Just the sort of person who can become a hunter.”

Rolling her eyes, the Faunus glanced at Ruby. “Who else did you manage to rope into this ‘line of work’ as you put it?”

“Oh, right, Blake, meet Weiss.”

She turned her head, expecting to find some manner of animal or a key chain or something that could be easily hidden and would explain why she’d only seen the two sisters since they’d entered the bar earlier that day. Much to her surprise, she found another woman walking beside Ruby, with white hair and clean clothes, not even the slightest trace she’d been anywhere near the barn, considering the sisters had come away bloodied and bruised.

However, even as some part of her mind insisted she’d never seen the woman before… another part seemed to insist she  _had_.

“Uh, sorry, have we met-”

“Twenty  _fucking_ seven, Yang!” 

She immediately busted up laughing. “And still as funny as the first time!”

For a moment, it looked like Weiss was about to smack the backside of the blonde’s head, but she managed to duck and dodge away, jogging ahead of them while laughing heartily.

“What just-”

“So, Weiss is an angel, and her perception to mortals is kinda fluid?” Ruby nudged her shoulder in a friendly way, smiling slightly. “You’ve actually met her and had all this explained to you twenty six times already, but every time you turn away, your memory adjusts itself to forget everything about her, specifically.” She shrugged, nothing but a befuddled sort of amusement in her expression. “And, for some reason, Yang finds that hilarious.”

Blake blinked, watching as Weiss finally caught up to Yang and started giving her an earful, which the blonde took with a smile and a roll of her eyes. From the sounds of it, the lecture had been given before and would be given again, and both participants were well aware of that.

… first vampires and now this. Just what had she gotten herself into?


End file.
